


Puppy Love

by itswarmerinhell



Category: British Actor RPF, Henry Cavill - Fandom, Henry Cavill RPF
Genre: Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Dogs, Dorks in Love, Epic Friendship, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, London, Nerds in Love, OFC Loves Shoes, Pet Sitting, Slow Burn, and dogs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:34:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26793727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itswarmerinhell/pseuds/itswarmerinhell
Summary: Actor Henry Cavill hires a Veterinarian currently in-between jobs to take care of his dog when he's not around. The pair build a fast friendship, and with the strong foundation set, clearly love has room to grow... if the two allow it.
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 82
Kudos: 236





	1. Chapter 1

Sophie leant back from her computer screen, looking over the words she had just typed in her biography for the new pet sitting app she had just joined. 

**Hi, I’m Sophie Desouza! I graduated from the Royal Veterinary College with my bachelor’s in veterinary medicine three years ago & I followed that up with a postgraduate certificate in small animal medicine. I’ve been working as a locum Veterinarian ever since.  
I love my job, but I’m currently taking a break so I’ve joined this App as I’m available for the following:**

**• Petsitting, at your place of residence or mine. (I have a roommate and no garden, so I am happy to have indoor cats stay with me and would prefer staying at yours to pet sit a dog or outdoor cat.)  
• Cats – I’m happy to feed them, check in on them and clean out their litter tray. Up to three times a day (location depending).  
• Dogs – I’m happy to feed them, check in on them and take them for a walk. Up to three times a day (location depending).  
• Administering medicine to your pets. Even if they are super fussy. I’m a Vet, so I’m very comfortable with syringes/pills/topical ointment etc**

**I am currently fully flexible, so I am happy to take on short and long-term pet care. I’m in Central London and this can be discussed further.**

**If you feel I’d be a good fit for you and your pet, reach out and message me! I’m verified on this App and I also have an enhanced DBS as well as my Veterinary license in the UK.**

**All this aside, I absolutely love dogs and if I didn’t have to return to work at some point, I would fill my apartment with every breed imaginable. But mostly the big breeds. I love the traditional working breeds of dogs.**

**Hoping to hear from you!**

“Yeah, that’s good.” She said aloud as she corrected a few typos before pressing save and then she had to upload a photo. She chose her most professional photo of her dressed in blue scrubs with her dark hair curled around her face, a stethoscope around her neck and two Cane Corso puppies in her hands as she smiled widely at the screen.

Sophie uploaded scans of her driving license, passport and DBS check for security & verification purposes before finally exiting the app and powering down her laptop, eventually leaving her bedroom. Her roommate was out for the evening & with the apartment so quiet she decided to grab a bag of Doritos and laze about on the sofa with an episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race playing in the background.

Her fingers were sufficiently covered in orange nacho cheese seasoning and she was engrossed in Laganja Estranja on the TV screen when her roommate Tina returned. The girl was barely dressed in a skimpy outfit which made Sophie raise an eyebrow because Tina was not one to usually wear such attire.

“And just where did you go looking like that on a Wednesday?” She asked curiously as she sat up and licked the cheese flavoured powder off her fingers. 

“Hakkasan.” Tina replied in a bored voice, kicking off her heels and sitting down next to Sophie. “Had that stupid date with that Investment Banker, didn’t I? Fucking wanker more like it. Spent the entire time talking about himself and his achievements. Which weren’t even achievements, mind you.”

“Ah, shit, that bad that even free dinner wasn’t worth it?” Sophie grimaced, passing the half full bag of chips to Tina. “You eat that, I’ll make some rum punch?”

“Yes!” Tina muttered as she shoved a handful of chips in her mouth. “Did you sign up on that app? What was it called again…Rover?”

“Yeah, Rover. I finished signing up earlier. Hopefully I get some jobs to fill the free time otherwise I’m going to have to go back to the cattery and that’s basically a kill shelter. I can’t do that.”

Sophie said as she stood in the kitchen and grabbed the bottles of pineapple and orange juice from the fridge along with a lime as Tina commented on her shitshow of a date in the background. The rum and grenadine were collected from the cupboard underneath the sink and she added everything to the Vitamix, juicing the lime over and blending it all together before pouring the drink into goblets. She carried both over to Tina and passed her one, the pair falling back onto the sofa and rearranging the cushions to get comfortable

“To shitty dates,” Sophie said as she raised her glass. “May we never have to go through another.”

“Excuse me, what do you mean we? I haven’t seen you go out with anyone recently.”

“Because men are annoying,” Sophie rolled her eyes. “Also, after a long day of being nearly mauled by animals and verbally attacked by their owners the last thing I want to do is come home and get ready so some loser can try and schmooze me.”

“Ouch, who hurt you?!” Tina said with a laugh, clinking their glasses together.

Sophie snorted, taking a sip of her drink. She knew damn well who had hurt her, it was her asshole first love, Peter, the one that had broken up with her halfway through her final year of studying, the same one who had all but put her off men forever. There was only so many lies that she could take in their four-year relationship, and he was an asshole who always blamed her for making him cheat anyway. Loser. Good riddance.

“Ugh,” Tina waved her hand in front of Sophie’s face. “Soph, you’re giving me the 1000 yard stare again. Please don’t tell me you’re thinking about mushroom Pete.”

Sophie laughed loudly, almost forgetting the stupid nickname Tina had given her ex. The nickname had been coined one night after Sophie, in a drunken state, had summed up that her ex just wasn’t a fun guy. Tina, who had also been drunk, had misheard and replied with ‘well of course he isn’t a funghi, he’s a human’. Hence mushroom Pete.

“I was, but he’s not a fun guy.” Sophie snorted again, taking another sip of her drink. “This is good, is that the good rum from your parents?”

“Uh-huh,” Tina said with a nod. “Best gift ever.” 

Sophie nodded in agreement, reaching for the bag of chips as she pressed play. Once the first cocktails were finished the girls made another, moving to the living room so they could carry on watching Ru Paul with their fresh cocktails.

*

Sophie awoke at 6:30 in the morning with no headache but a slight fuzzy feeling enveloping her body. She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth twice, not liking the taste of leftover rum and sweet fruit juice on her tongue. Usually at this time she would have been rushing to the nearest underground station to get a train to work, but seeing as she currently had no work, she was free to do as she pleased. The weather wasn’t too chilly, so she changed into a pair of sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt and sat outside on the balcony to start the day with some yoga.

Tina made the pair avocado toast for breakfast before she had to leave for work, and Sophie ate her breakfast at her desk as she logged into her emails, replying back to her dad’s email about maybe heading down to Wales at Christmas to visit him. It was only August, so she still had time to decide if she wanted to spend the holiday season with her dad in Wales or with her mother in Surrey. Having divorced parents wasn’t ideal around the holidays but her parents were understanding that there was two of them and only one of her.

Sophie saw an email from the Rover app and she opened it, following the link that directed her to the website. She logged in with her details and clicked on the ‘new message’ button, navigating her way to a message that had been received at 6am this morning, from someone called Emily B.

**Hi there, I’m emailing on behalf of my employer. He has an Akita and with his current schedule he’s finding it increasingly difficult to give his dog the due attention needed. Usually his dog travels with him for work but at this present moment it’s not a possibility so I have been looking for a live in pet sitter as and when needed, and it will be for weeks at a time. You being a veterinarian will no doubt put my employer at ease, especially as his dog is his son and means the world to him. Previously, pet sitters have not worked out well as his dog can get fussy and difficult (but never aggressive) when he is not around. We are willing to pay above the fees you have listed, so if you could please reply back to this message to let me know your thoughts it would be great to progress further. Thank you.**

“Huh, well that was quick.” 

Sophie said to herself as she replied back to the email and left her phone number at the bottom. She loved Akitas, her best friend growing up had the biggest, dopiest one called Murphy and she loved every chance she got to play with Murphy over the years. It was a bittersweet ending, Sophie herself having to euthanise the dog when he reached old age and his liver began to fail. He was a trooper who made it to 15, though. She sighed softly, willing the sad thoughts away. Even after the countless euthanasia’s she had to administer, it never got easier. The only silver lining was that she had the ability to end the animals suffering.

She got up from the desk and took the plate into the sink, washing it along with the other dirty dishes whilst Alexa played Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive in the background. Sophie shimmied her hips and sang along loudly as she dried the dishes and gave the kitchen a general tidy, only stopping when she thought she heard her phone’s ringtone. 

“Alexa, stop the music.” Sophie said as she rushed into her bedroom and grabbed her phone from its place on her nightstand, quickly answering the private number call. 

“Hello, am I speaking with Dr Desouza?” An unfamiliar voice asked.

Sophie held back a laugh, still not used to her title. Sure, she was a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine but she was so used to just being referred to as a Vet that she often forgot of her professional title.

“Yes, that’s me. Please, Sophie is just fine.” She replied as she took a seat on the edge of her bed. “Sorry, who am I speaking with?”

“Oh, sorry!” The cheerfully feminine voice replied. “I’m Emily Brussard, I emailed you earlier regarding Rover, the pet sitting app?”

“Of course!” Sophie smiled. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting a call so soon.”

“Is this a bad time? I can reschedule.”

“No need, right now is fine!” Sophie leant back against her wall, putting the phone on speaker and resting it on her thighs. 

The call took just over an hour, Emily happily explaining all about Kal the Akita that needed pet sitting. Apparently, Kal’s owner was a very busy working professional and away from home for weeks at a time and where he next planned to work made it difficult to bring Kal along, so the poor dog had to stay at home. 

Emily explained how Kal’s owner lived in South Kensington (which was great seeing as Sophie lived nearby in Richmond) and how said owner seemed a lot more relaxed now that he was aware that a potential veterinarian could be taking care of his beloved pet when he was unable to do so. Sophie explained how she loved big dogs and was very comfortable around them and that she also had a background in companion animal behaviour which helped.

“I think it would be good for you to meet Kal. Following on from this, if you’re happy to accept and so is my employer, I can do an in depth background check with your permission and issue contracts? It wouldn’t be anything more than checking over the DBS.”

“That sounds like a good idea, it would be great to meet Kal and see if he’s willing to tolerate me,” Sophie said with a chuckle. “My enhanced DBS was uploaded onto Rover, and I would also just mention that my studies can be vetted with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. I’ll be able to provide you with my reference number to help with that when we reach that point, if we do.”

“Perfect, Sophie. Thank you so much for your time. Are you happy for me to speak with my employer and email you some dates and times for a meeting?”

“Yes Emily, that’s fine. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon!”

Sophie hung up the call and punched the air in victory. If she secured this pet sitting gig with the wage quoted, it would help immensely as she looked for permanent employment in a Veterinary practice. She wasn’t hurting for money at all, she was very lucky in that sense, but Sophie was used to working and had a good work ethic, so she looked forward to eventually returning to a clinical setting.

*

Henry slowed his pace on the treadmill as the clock hit 9am, using a washcloth to dab at the sweat forming on his forehead as his assistant, Emily, walked into his gym room, Kal in tow. 

“I have good news!” Emily said with a wide smile, stopping next to the treadmill. “I just spoke to the Veterinarian, and she’s happy to meet Kal!”

Henry smiled widely, stopping his pace completely and stepping off the treadmill to look down at Kal, fixing his dog with an innocent stare.

“You must be on your best behaviour, you tart.” He said with a laugh, crouching down to scratch behind Kal’s ears. “I mean it!”

Emily rolled her eyes, laughing too.

“Would you like to be present during the meeting or should we keep the whole ‘your employer is Henry Cavill’ thing in the dark until contracts are signed?”

Henry crossed his arms over his chest, thinking it over. On one hand he would prefer to not be involved, but he also wanted to see how Kal interacted with this person.

“She’s a professional, right.” He said with a sigh, shrugging his shoulders. “What the heck, I should meet her too. I need to make sure Kal is in the right hands when I’m not around.”

“Understandable,” Emily nodded. “If my partner wasn’t so allergic, you know I’d have no problems keeping Kal with me.”

“I know, Em.” Henry smiled, Emily was a lovely woman who always went above and beyond for him. He wouldn’t have his head screwed on so straight if it wasn’t for her ruling over his professional calendar with an iron fist, and he had no clue what he would do without her. “Have I ever told you how great of an assistant you are?”

“All the time, Cavill. All the damn time.” Emily said with a laugh. “Happy for me to look over the free times in your calendar and see what suits her best?”

“Fine with me, Em. I trust you.”

*

Sophie looked at her emails, finding one sent recently from Emily and opening it up. She unlocked her phone and pulled up the calendar app, checking what dates and times would work best in her practically empty schedule. She replied back to the email, choosing to meet tomorrow, Friday, at lunchtime. Emily replied back almost instantly asking if they could arrange to meet at the Princess Diana memorial fountain at 11 and Sophie agreed before closing her laptop and pottering over to the kitchen to bother Tina who was cooking them dinner.

“So I’m meeting the Akita in Hyde Park tomorrow,” She said as she took a seat at the kitchen island, snagging a washed grape from the fruit bowl and popping it into her mouth. “Any advice?”

Tina raised an eyebrow, looking up from the pot she was stirring vegetables in.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the animal expert? You’re asking the wrong person.”

“Hey, in my defence I’m more of an expert on skin conditions and the different scales of dental decay in cats.” Sophie snorted. “Also, weirdo, I was on about the human interaction. You’re the human resources expert after all.”

“People suck.” Tina said with a laugh, and Sophie had to amen to that, sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this opening chapter! Comments and kudos are always happily received.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Henry waited at the front door, leash and harness in hand. He called Kal once and waited until he heard the click-clack of paws hitting the ground and smiled widely, crouching down and praising his boy as he came bounding over.

“You must be on your best behaviour, Kal.” He said as he draped the harness over Kal’s body and clipped it into place, attaching the leash to the d-ring before he stood back up. Kal was looking at him with a strange expression, and Henry tutted. “Yes Kal, manners must be displayed today. I won’t have you scaring off another pet sitter.”

Kal gave a soft woof and Henry rolled his eyes affectionately, scratching behind Kal’s ears before he pocketed his phone and keys and opened the front door, firmly pulling a baseball cap over his head and ensuring his hoodie was high up to cover his famously recognisable chin. 

It would take less than 15 minutes to walk to the memorial fountain in Hyde Park from his home, and it was 10:30 now so he had more than enough time. He set off at a leisurely pace, allowing Kal to sniff the ground as he pleased as they walked along.

The walk to Hyde Park was unremarkable and due to the misty weather, there weren’t too many people around so Henry unclipped Kal’s leash once they were close to the memorial, walking along the path as his dog zoomed around him through the dew tipped grass. 

Henry noticed a petite woman sitting by the edge of the memorial and as he walked closer, he pointed to Kal before pointing to the woman, patiently waiting for her response.

Sophie looked up as she felt someone walking towards her with a purpose. The man was huge and built like a brick shithouse, much larger than her 5’4, 120 pound frame and he was holding a leash in his hands and pointing to a beautiful, familiar looking Akita that was currently too interested in staring at a squirrel up a tree to realise what was going on around him.

The dog was very familiar, because Sophie had been him before, plastered on the phones of the veterinary nurses she had previously worked with, the nurses all cooing over the bond the dog and its owner had, although Sophie was pretty sure they were more interested in the dogs burly owner. Two and two connected instantly and Sophie jumped up from where she was sat, smiling as she quickly dusting herself off before walking over.

That was Henry Cavill and his dog, Kal. Kal the Akita owned by Henry Cavill. Superman in the DC cinematic universe, star of the Witcher, that Henry Cavill. The man carried this raw, ethereal masculinity in the photos of himself plastered all over the internet, but up close in real life it was something else. It didn’t help that he was so much more ridiculously handsome up close, as in Michelangelo's David handsome. Potentially even more handsome. Yeah, way more handsome. The mould was unsalvageable after this man emerged from it. 

Henry extended his hand with a smile once she was in reach and Sophie smiled back, shaking his hand firmly.

“Nice to meet you, Mr Cavill.” Sophie said, letting it clearly be known that she knew who this man was, and that she was not starstruck. Well, she was internally, but he didn’t need to know that. “I’m Sophie Desouza.”

Henry smirked; the jig was up. Not that there ever was jig seeing as he wasn’t intentionally trying to hide who he was. He was just glad Sophie hadn’t fainted in his arms, eyed him up like he was a piece of meat or squealed so loud his eardrums had burst. He called for Kal, waiting patiently as the dog eventually trotted over and obediently sat on his haunches at his side.

“Henry is fine, please.” Henry started as he looked down at Kal. “Now, Kal. This is Sophie. Be nice.”

Sophie smiled widely, watching the scene unfold. Most pet owners got so embarrassed about speaking to their pets and she never understood why. She loved the baby voices and she was sure the pets did too, it was funny to see them interact. She waited patiently, avoiding intense eye contact with Kal by looking to the side and loosely letting her arms fall to the side so Kal could take a sniff. She giggled when she felt his wet snout hit her palm and she curled it around his muzzle, scratching underneath his chin as she crouched down to pet at his face.

“Aren’t you a handsome boy,” She said as she tickled his whiskers. “Kal, good boy.”

Henry gripped onto the leash, smiling like a proud parent as he watched Kal patiently sit and be petted. After a few minutes of touches, Sophie stood up and laughed when Kal bumped his head into her thigh, a clear sign that whilst she was done giving scratches, he wasn’t done receiving them.

“Greedy!” Henry said with a laugh, taking a milk bone biscuit out of his hoodie pocket and waving it in front of Kal’s face before throwing it off into the distance, watching his dog bound after it.

“I love Akitas,” Sophie said with a sigh. “I love all big dogs, and genuinely I think people find it so funny because I’m so small compared to these big hulking dogs, but I love them, they’re so misunderstood. Nobody understands the worst ones are the small dogs with small man syndrome. They lure you in with their shaking and nervous behaviour.”

“I believe the saying is, the shorter the legs, the closer the dog is to Satan?” Henry laughed, his head tilting back as he chuckled. “Emily, my assistant, she’s the one that has been in contact with you. She mentioned you are a Veterinarian?”

He asked as he took a seat on the edge of the memorial. Sophie followed suit, sitting down next to him and leaving some distance so she could turn to face him as she spoke.

“Yes, I am. Since finishing Uni I just locumed at different places, and over the summer the Government put down new rules on locum Vets working under their own limited companies so the majority of the vet recruiters just stopped dealing with us which is difficult.” She smiled at Henry, noting how he was listening to her and making full eye contact. “I can always look for permanent Vet positions, but before I do that and throw myself back into full time work I just wanted to take a bit of a break, maybe hang out with some pets in the meantime.”

“That sounds tough, those new guidelines, but I’m glad you have a plan.” He gave her a smile. “If I was in your position, I’d probably do the same.”

“So, now would be the part where you tell me about yourself,” She said with a smile. “Or is this the part where you tell me to put your name into Google?”

Henry smiled again, petting Kal once he returned from enjoying the milk bone.

“I like to think the internet doesn’t have a truly accurate representation of who I am,” He said. “But they got the part about me loving my dog down to the tee.”

The pair carried on conversing with ease as Kal trotted around them, never straying too far from Henry’s side. It was clear that Kal was well taken care of and that both Henry and Kal had a strong bond. Sophie couldn’t wait to have a dog of her own and share the same kind of special understanding. Eventually, Henry looked at his watch and apologised, he had a meeting soon and needed to leave.

“Before you go, for the sake of disclosure,” Sophie said, clearing her throat. “There’s something I should admit to you. You may think twice about wanting to hire me after this…”

“Okay?” Henry said, partly curious and partly concerned as he clipped the leash back onto Kal’s harness and stood up, turning to look at Sophie who was still sat at the memorial.

“I’m more of a Batman fan,” Sophie deadpanned, lifting up her jeans and pointing to the outline of the 1998 Batman logo that was tattooed on her ankle. “Sorry!”

Henry laughed again, shaking his head as he stood to his full height.

“I’m willing to let that slide as long as you don’t mention it again.” He said with a wink, motioning to the path that he had walked down. “Emily or I will be in touch shortly. I’m more than thrilled to leave Kal in your capable hands. Thank you for meeting me today.”

“Thank you,” Sophie said with a wide smile, leaning down to give Kal a bear hug before she stepped back stood up, waving at the pair. “Have a nice day, Henry!”

“You too, Sophie.” Henry said with a wave, turning around and walking back in the direction that would lead him out of Hyde Park and back home. When Sophie was out of distance, he turned to pat Kal’s head. “So, what do you think?”

Kal looked up at Henry, bumping his nose into Henry’s thigh.

“I’ll take that as a yes, my friend.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sophie had returned home with a spring in her step, excited at the prospect of pet sitting a dog as beautiful as Kal, and his owner being Henry Cavill was an extra handsome cherry on top. She couldn’t wait to tell Tina. 

She had spent the remainder of the day cleaning up around the apartment and doing all the fun adult things one had to do: laundry, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming and dusting. Sophie then called her mum to catch up as she was folding the freshly washed and dried clothes and then called her dad before running some errands. She still had some free time when she was out, so she stopped at the nail salon to get a manicure and a pedicure, opting for a simple French manicure on both her hands and feet. She couldn’t really function with fake nails and they were of no help in her line of work so she kept her natural nails short and clean.

By the time Tina returned from work in the early evening, the apartment was clean and Chinese takeaway had just been delivered. Sophie waited until the pair were sat at the kitchen table before she broke the news.

“You’re fucking lying, Soph!” Tina said as she reached for the takeout container of fried rice, dumping half on her plate and half on Sophie’s before doing the same with the beef. “You cannot be serious!”

Sophie grabbed a pair of chopsticks and pulled her plate towards herself, spearing a piece of prawn toast from one of the open containers on the table between the pair and chewing on it thoughtfully.

“Not lying, I’m gonna be pet sitting Henry Cavill’s dog.” She laughed, reaching for her glass of water. “This is like the most fun thing that’s happen in my entire career.”

“How did you know it was him? Did he announce it before or something? If he did, how dare you not have told me so I could have called in sick and joined you!”

“Nah, I recognised his dog. Remember when I worked at Medivet over Christmas? The nurses were obsessed with him and his dog, always showing me his social media page. I saw the dog, saw the massive dude and put two and two together.” She tapped her temple, snorting. “Me smart.”

“Ugh, I bet he is huge. Stupid, sexy man.” Tina said as she scrolled through his photos on Google. “What did he smell like?”

“Uh,” Sophie raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know?”

“What?! You’re telling me you got close to wagyu steak and didn’t even take a whiff?!”

“Ew,” Sophie scrunched up her nose at the mental image. “No!”

She shook her head and began eating her dinner, hoping that Tina would stop going on about the men in the DC Universe and their dick prints, what she thought they smelled like, how nice their teeth were. She was an odd one.

“You realise,” Sophie said as she speared herself another piece of prawn toast. “That I’m never going to see him, right? My job will be to take care of his dog when he’s not there.” She snorted.

“Oh my god, what if he lives in a mansion that’s so huge that he pretends to go away but secretly he’s just hiding out in another wing to see what you’re really like. Wow, what if the RCVS has him in on a plan to catch Vets going against their code of conduct?”

Sophie blinked slowly, staring at her friend. How Tina was so professionally capable yet so weirdly socially stunted, she had no idea. Tina was just lucky Sophie loved her so.

“Tina, think about what you just said. In what world would the Royal College of Vet Surgeons hire a famous actor to bring down a locum Vet who isn’t even currently working?”

“Yeah,” Tina thought about it carefully before nodding. “Guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right.” Sophie balled up her unused napkin and threw it in Tina’s direction, laughing as her friend caught it between her chopsticks. “Don’t you forget it.”

The pair ate the rest of their dinner in silence, only speaking to tell each other a stupid joke or laugh about an old memory. Tina offered to do the dishes and Sophie packed away the leftovers before retreating to her room for the night.

Once she’d showered and her evening skincare routine was done, she tied her hair up in a messy bun and changed into her favourite pyjamas. They were navy blue, leggings and an oversized crop top that fell off one shoulder, the matching set featuring dozens of copies of Cookie Monster hugging a cookie with love hearts surrounding. This particular pyjama set had seen better days, but Sophie loved it the most for that reason.

Just as she fell back onto her bed, ready to relax after the long day she’d had, her phone rang and Sophie groaned loudly, dragging herself upright and rooting for her phone that had fallen between her bed and the wall as she was charging it, the stupid power outlet right behind her headboard being to blame. She found her phone eventually, unplugging it from the charger and quickly answering without checking who was calling before they could hang up. She pressed the phone to her ear, flopping back down onto her mattress.

“Hello?”

“Sophie, _help_.” A rushed, male voice replied, sounding panicked. “I don’t know what to do, help!”

“…Henry?” Sophie sat up straight once she realised who it was calling her in such a panicked, distraught tone. “What’s wrong?”

“Kal!” Henry all but wailed. “I took him out for his evening walk, we jogged through the parks and he was fine, but on the way home he began limping, I saw him biting at his paw and I tried to check but he freaked out and won’t let me near him. He’s never done this before!”

“Henry, it’s okay. He probably won’t let you near it because he’s in pain. It’s not nice to witness, I’m sorry.” Sophie got out of bed, yanking on a pair of socks and an oversized hoodie with the phone still pressed to her ear. “Give me your address. I’m going to call myself a taxi. Do not touch his paw, don’t aggravate him but do not let him lick at it either, okay?”

Sophie could hear Henry murmuring something and she figured he must have been pacing around.

“Henry!” She called out loud. “Your address. Now, please.”

“Yes, the address. I’m sorry. 37 Victorson Road, W8.”

“Stay calm, Henry. I’ll see you soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop! A slight cliffhanger to end chapter 3, sorry!
> 
> The reaction to me uploading this has been astounding. It's so much fun to get lost in writing this.  
> As always, your comments and kudos are always cherished. <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice long chapter for your enjoyment. Your feedback for this story has been mind blowing. I'm in awe, and thank you all.

_“Stay calm, Henry. I’ll see you soon.”_

Sophie hung up the phone, calling herself an Uber to Henry’s address before shoving the phone into her pocket and grabbing her duffle bag from the bottom of her wardrobe. She opened up the bag, checking inside for her surgical tools and magnifying headband, satisfied she would have everything she needed before exiting the bedroom and running into the kitchen, grabbing the emergency bottle of Metacam from the medicine cupboard. Everyone had called her crazy for keeping canine and feline pain relief in her home, especially as she didn’t have any pets, but Sophie planned ahead and would rather have it and not need it than require it and not have it. 

“TINA!” Sophie called out as she stuffed on her shoes by the front door and grabbed her house keys. “Dog emergency, I gotta go!”

“Sounds ominous, be safe!” Tina called from somewhere in the apartment.

Sophie took her phone out of her pocket, waiting for the Uber to notify her that they were outside. When she received the notification, she all but threw herself out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her and running down the front steps to the awaiting car outside.

“Thank you, please go.” 

Sophie said as she got into the backseat, pulling on her seatbelt and texting Henry that she was on her way. She wasn’t panicked because she had dealt with plenty of pet owners who would freak out when it came to their pets, she understood the worry and pain when a pet was unwell, and Henry sounded so panicked that she was concerned what could potentially have caused Kal to become suddenly lame in one paw.

The ride was brief and less than 8 miles, Sophie arriving at a beautiful all white gated house on the corner of the road twenty minutes later. She exited the Uber with a thank you, gripping the duffel bag tightly in her hands as she stepped onto the pavement and rang the intercom, patiently waiting. 

Instead of hearing a voice from the intercom, the single gate at the property swung open inwardly with a buzz and Sophie looked up as the front door opened, Henry standing there with a distraught look on his face. She ran up the steps to the property two at a time, stopping once she reached the top and looking at Henry. He was shaking, and she rested her hand on his bicep, squeezing softly in reassurance. 

“Henry, it’s okay.” She said softly. “Take me to Kal, I’m here now.”

Henry said nothing, just shut the front door behind the pair and grabbed Sophie by the hand, leading her deeper into the home. He led her through the hallway and up a half flight of stairs, stopping in the living room and letting go of her hand, pointing to Kal who was hunched on his bed in the corner, clearly aggravated and biting at his paw with a pathetic look on his face. 

The dog stared at them before pulling his paw closers towards his chest, letting out a low whine. 

Henry felt like an awful parent at that moment, unsure of what to do to help and chastising himself for causing whatever had even happened. He’d thought the evening jog had been uneventful but on the way home Kal had suddenly put his front paw down and yelped in pain, knocking back into Henry’s legs in a confused state, refusing to get up.   
Henry had scooped Kal up in his arms immediately, mindful of touching the paw as he murmured apologies and raced them home. He’d placed Kal on the sofa after arriving home, Kal yelping at suddenly being jostled and snapping the air as a warning. Henry had called Sophie immediately after, near complete panic as he looked for her number in the emails from Emily, his hands shaking as he scrolled the screen before eventually finding what he needed and dialling for her assistance. Waiting for her arrival had been torturous, the clock on the wall somehow slow as molasses as he waited.

“Oh no, the Vet senses have kicked in.” Sophie said with a sigh, turning to stare at Henry with her hands on her hips.

“What is that?” Henry ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. “Is that bad?”

“No, oh no, I’m sorry! Nothing like this. I have this notion that dogs can sense when you’re in Vet mode, and that’s when they get very nervous or defensive. Earlier in the park, Kal was happy to meet me because I wasn’t in Vet mode and now that I’ve come here in Vet mode it’s a different story.” She looked up at Henry. “Come on, we are going to keep conversing at a normal pace and go near him. Keep your movements careful and innocent, we don’t want to spook him.”

“Kal, good boy.” Sophie said as she walked closer towards the pet bed. “Remember me?”

She still kept her distance and sat down, opening up the bag on the floor and pulling on the magnifying headband and a pair of rubber gloves. She looked up at Henry who was looming over her and smiled sadly.

“It’s okay, Henry. I need your help now, okay? Kal trusts you the most so I need you to help me help him.”

Henry nodded once, waiting for further instruction.

“Please turn on all the lights in here so I can get a better look and then I need you to muzzle him, okay?” She took the adjustable muzzle from her bag, making it the correct temporary fit for Kal’s face before passing it to Henry after he returned from turning all the lights on, the room significantly brighter. “I know he is a gentle giant, but you said yourself that he wouldn’t let you look at his paw so it’s clear he’s in pain and won’t act like his usual self.”

“Kal, I’m sorry my friend.” Henry said sadly as he slowly fit the muzzle over Kal’s face and stood behind the dog, keeping a hand on his side. “I am right here, buddy. Sophie is going to help you.”

“Hold his body between your legs like he’s a horse you are about to sit on and keep a firm hold on his collar and the muzzle. He will try and move, try to bite but he must be held firmly. I’m used to this. Animals act out when they are in pain.” 

Sophie said calmly as she moved forward and softly touched Kal’s paw. He growled and flinched, curling his paw inwards towards his chest and if Henry didn’t have such a white-knuckle grip around his collar, Sophie would have been a little worried for her safety.

“Oh, Kal.” Sophie pouted. “I know buddy, but I have to look.”

Henry gripped tightly onto Kal and when she felt he had a firm enough grip that wouldn’t result in her being mauled, Sophie confidently reached out to take a hold of the dogs paw and carefully turn it over, pulling the magnifying glass over her eyes as she attempted to find the cause of his discomfort with a pair of tweezers. Kal whined and barked, convulsing and trying to twist out of the firm grasp his owner had on him and Henry began apologising loudly to them both as he gripped onto his dog tightly. Sophie worked quickly with the speciality tweezers, moving the hairs around the pads of Kal’s paw away until she finally found the culprit, a grass seed.

“It’s a grass seed.” She said in relief. “Fucking stupid things.” 

She began whispering soothing words to Kal, using the tweezers to test how far lodged into his paw the seed was. After a few tries, she was able to gently pry the arrow shaped seed out, thankful that it came out easily in one whole piece. A total relief, seeing as Kal would have needed to be sedated to have it removed if it was embedded any further and even then, there was a risk it could be absorbed into his skin and cause even more damage.

Sophie would have liked to trim the hairs around the paw to ensure there was no more damage, but she was lucky Kal had even allowed her to dig the grass seed out so she quickly inspected the area as best she could before cleaning the paw with a chlorohexidine wipe and dabbing all the crevices dry with a cotton bud. Once she was sure it was as dry as could be, she opted to use a spray on plaster to coat the underneath of his paw, knowing full well that if she wrapped up his paw with a tradition plaster, he would just rip it off in an instant. Kal was quiet in Henry’s arms, clearly pouting at what he had just endured, and Henry was petting the sides of his face soothingly, muttering something to him.

Sophie leaned back, allowing Henry to take the muzzle off and pass it back to her. Kal looked at the pair of them before slowly putting his foot down, eventually putting weight down on the paw and moving slowly between the pair when it was apparent there was nothing to cause him anymore immense pain. The spray on plaster would act as a barrier against bacteria and dirt, so he would be able to move freely with no restriction.

“Kal, you scared your dad!” Sophie said with a smile, sitting forward and reaching for Kal, hugging the dog tightly against her. They were clearly friends again seeing as she was no longer in Vet mode. “You were such a brave, good boy. Good boy, Kal.”

Henry had suspiciously wet eyes as he picked Kal up and embraced the dog, Sophie allowing the pair some privacy as she began gathering up her tools and placing the grass seed in an empty pill bottle. Kal, once on the floor again, decided to run around in circles.

“These things,” She said as she stood up, holding up the bottle. “Are the devil. Every summer, grass seeds are the bane of my existence. They’re shaped like little arrows so imagine it’s caught on the paw and the dog keeps licking and biting, that’s what makes it dig in further and the only thing that can be done at that point is sedation and surgical removal. Always check the ears for these little buggers.”

Sophie threw the used gloves and pill bottle into a small hazmat bag in the side compartment of her duffel bag, taking the purple box of Metacam out and leaving it on the coffee table.

“I brought pain relief just in case, and I’m glad I did. His paw is going to be a little sore, but nowhere near as bad as the pain he must have been in before. I’m glad we got it out in time. The instructions for this are simple, go by bodyweight and there is a dosing syringe inside for the correct dose. Put the liquid straight on his food, once daily for his bodyweight. Do this for the next 3 days only. If he gets any vomiting or diarrhea, let me know and we can switch it out for something else although I’m only saying 3 days as a precaution. I didn’t do anything too traumatic, hopefully, so I am certain he will be back to normal by the late morning.”

Sophie looked up when she noticed Henry wasn’t saying anything and she found him staring down at her, his eyes almost boring holes directly into her own. She raised an eyebrow, reaching out to pat his bicep.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Thank you,” Henry said in the sincerest tone he could muster, a small, private smile on his face. “You have no ties to me or my dog, I just met you for the first time this morning and when I called you for help, you came instantly. I’m also sorry, I had to quickly get your number from Emily. It’s unfair of me to have selfishly contacted you.”

Sophie smiled, looking up at Henry and slowly taking her hand away from his bicep. She’d forgotten she had been holding onto his muscles as he was talking, and she blushed at the realisation.

“Henry, there’s one more thing you should know about me. I’m always there whenever anyone calls for help. I mean it. Also, you realise I didn’t get into debt and spend years struggling through Vet school because I hate animals, right? Worrying about your dog is not selfish, especially when the poor guy was actually in pain.”

Henry nodded sharply, staring at Sophie again as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Sophie frowned, raising an eyebrow.

“Henry, I’m not going to accept money for this.”

“I called you from your home very late into the night, you had to get a taxi to me.” It was Henry’s turn to frown. “I have to reimburse you for your time.”

“No,” Sophie giggled. “You don’t. Seriously, it’s all good. I’m just glad Kal is fine.”

“Me too,” Henry sighed. “Please let me pay you, I feel terrible seeing as you clearly rushed here.” He looked down at her attire. “Please?”

“I already said I won’t accept your money, and I basically live in my pyjamas nowadays so don’t worry about it.”

“At least let me drop you home?” He asked, and Sophie shook her head.

“After the adrenaline high you just had, no way buddy. You’re staying in your house with your dog. I suggest you make some tea, watch a movie. Relax. Keep Kal in your sights in case he tries to lick his paws. I’ve put a micronized spray over the area but the last thing we want is a moist area for bacteria to grow.”

Sophie slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and called herself another Uber. She took the Metacam box and followed Henry into the kitchen after he called her along, he passed her a notepad and pen so she could write down the dosage instructions again for the pain relief.

“I’m sorry,” Henry said as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I assure you; I was listening to what you were saying, it just went in one ear and out the other.”

“Don’t even worry about it,” Sophie waved her free hand to signify it was fine, jotting down the instructions once again. “The amount of times I explained something to a client during a consultation, and they called me back later on to say they forgot what I said. It’s all good.”

She folded the note and put it inside the box, shutting the lid and leaving it on the counter for Henry.

“That is Metacam, it’s an oral solution of meloxicam and traditionally used for osteoarthritis in dogs but it’s also good pain relief and easy to dose. I’ve written it all down, anyway. Store it at room temp, and I would say keep it around just in case, it’s got a long expiry.”

Henry stood there for a moment, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something. Sophie’s phone buzzed in her hand, signalling her Uber was outside. She stuffed her phone into the duffel bag and leant down to give Kal one last hug.

“I better get going, Henry. Keep me updated on Kal and watch out for those darn grass seeds, okay?”

Henry nodded, leading Sophie to the front door and stopping her before she left with one hand on her dainty shoulder. He hesitated for a moment before leaning down to whisper into her ear.

“Thank you, Sophie.”

Sophie didn’t dare turn around, especially as she could feel her face heating up. She could feel Henry’s strong chest pressed against her back and she just shrugged nonchalantly and said it was fine, anytime, before heading down the steps and exiting through the gates.

Henry watched as she got into the taxi, waving until the car turned the corner and disappeared from view. He watched the electronic gates close before he shut the front door and leant back against it, slipping down until he was sat on the ground. Kal came over, wagging his tail and sat between Henry’s splayed legs. Totally unaware of the panic he had caused his owner.

“You scared me senseless, Kal.” Henry murmured as he held his dog close. “No more of that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. As always, comments and kudos are so welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

On Saturday morning, Sophie text what she assumed was Henry’s private number, the same one he had called her on the night before, to ask how Kal was doing. A few minutes later she received no response, just a video of Kal happily ripping apart a stuffed teddy bear and she replied with a thumbs up emoji before getting on with her day. 

The following morning, on Sunday, Sophie awoke to a text from Henry asking if she wanted to go have Sunday lunch somewhere. Apparently, her not accepting his money still wasn’t sitting right with him, so he wanted to make it up by taking her for a meal. Sophie accepted happily, sending Henry her address as they hashed out a mutual timing; she hadn’t had a roast dinner in forever.

“I mean,” Tina said as she sat on Sophie’s bed. “I’m technically considering this a first date.”

Sophie raised an eyebrow, looking up from where she was sat on the floor, flipping through a comic.

“He was worried about his dog; I went to help. I didn’t accept his money and he feels bad, so he wants to go get food. Sunday lunch, of all things. How is that a date? You know the amount of times you and I have gone out for Sunday lunch. It’s not a date.”

“It would have been a date if you hadn’t fumbled the bag last night!” Tina rolled her eyes with a sigh, the Sudanese beauty always looked extra adorable when she was angry. “He was clearly worried about his dog and emotional. You could have climbed on that dick and ridden it into the sunset.”

Sophie made a face, rolling up the Hellboy book and smacking Tina’s shin with it.

“You are just awful, T.” She said as she got up and began rummaging through her wardrobe. “Hey, what’s the weather like today?”

“Meh,” Tina replied. “Typical British doom and gloom, but no forecasts for rain.”

Sophie nodded, standing up and resting her hands on her hips as she looked over at her wardrobe. She walked over to the clothing hung on the racks and pulled out a pair of dark grey skinny jeans and a Fleetwood Mac t-shirt, tossing them onto the bed beside Tina.

“No sexy dress?” Tina asked, eyeing up the clothes on the bed beside her.

“Nah,” Sophie smirked. “We save those for the investment wankers, don’t we?”

Tina groaned and grabbed a pillow, launching it in Sophie’s direction. Sophie caught it with ease, laughing.

“With my black boots?” She asked, pointing to the outfit on the bed.

“No underwear.” Tina said with a smirk. “What? You don’t want VPL!”

Sophie rolled her eyes as Tina cackled and she shooed her friend out of her room before closing the bedroom door and tidying the mess she’d somehow made in her room.

She took a quick shower once she’d finished cleaning and then set about drying and straightening her shoulder length black hair. Makeup was simple, when working she didn’t bother with anything more than some lip gloss and on most days she was happy to be barefaced but for today’s light daytime makeup it was just as simple, some concealer and powder, a bit of peachy highlight dabbed on her cupids bow and browbone and a few coats of thick mascara on her long eyelashes. She avoided lip gloss just in case it was windy (nobody wanted their hair sticking to their lips) and settled on a dusky rose matte lipstick, taking a step back to look at herself.

She put on a black t-shirt bra, matching underwear and black socks before slipping into her jeans and shirt and pulling her boots on. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn a pair of jeans considering that she lived in scrubs when working and when not at work it was either gym wear or leggings and oversized sweaters.

Sophie stepped out of the bedroom, twirling for Tina.

“I’m so glad you didn’t decide on wearing a sweatshirt. Especially that stupid Roald Dahl one with the Witches characters on it.” Tina said as she clapped. “I don’t understand how you have no qualms spending like 800 pounds on shoes,” She motioned to the Gucci leather ankle boots on Sophie’s feet, they were all black with a chunky heel & had an ankle strap dotted with sparkling crystals, a cute pair of boots Sophie could wear with pretty much anything. “But you see a 20 pound sweatshirt and you’re like yes. This is the one.”

“Shoes are my weakness and I have no budget for what makes my heart happy. Case in point, the entire collection of Batman memorabilia under my bed.” Sophie cackled, pulling on her hooded nude pink teddy jacket and putting her phone, coin purse and keys into one of the zipped pockets after her phone buzzed, signalling Henry was outside. “Alright, he just told me he’s outside, so I’m off.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Tina sang as she followed Sophie to the front door.

Sophie exited the apartment, closing the front door behind her as she walked down the steps and over to a very shiny, blacked out Range Rover. Henry rolled down the passenger side window and waved and Sophie waved back with a smile before opening the car door and getting into the passenger seat. 

“Hey, Henry.” She said with a smile, turning to look at the man in the driver’s seat as she put her seatbelt on. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a grey v-neck t-shirt under his unbuttoned coat, and he smiled widely at her. “How’s Kal?”

“Sophie, hi. Kal is good, much better. Relaxing at home.” Henry smiled and thanked Sophie again. “We made sure to avoid the tall areas of grass on our walk this morning. Lesson learned.”

Sophie smiled and nodded, pressing the button to roll the window up before she got too cold. The weather had suddenly dropped through the night, the weather channel this morning alerting her that the temperature would begin to drop due to cold winds being blown in from the Swiss alps. Sophie wanted to go to the Swiss alps one day. A holiday was long overdue.

“So!” She started. “Sunday lunch? I haven’t had a roast in forever.”

Henry nodded, signalling out and joining the main road.

“I hope you don’t mind but there’s a wonderful pub down the road from mine, I thought we could go there?”

“Sounds good, but you shouldn’t have picked me up if it’s near yours. I would have been happy to meet you.”

“I know,” Henry turned to looked at her briefly before returning his gaze to the road. “But you didn’t let me drop you home last night so I thought I could cheekily pick you up to make up for it.”

Sophie rolled her eyes, reaching out to slap her hand against Henry’s bicep.

“Can you stop going on about that! You’re acting like it was such an inconvenience.”

Henry could feel his cheeks heating and could sense the blush creeping up his neck to his face. He cleared his throat, moving to fiddle with the media console on the dashboard and allowing some music to filter in through the speakers.

“There’s traffic,” He warned.

“When isn’t there?” Sophie said with a laugh, leaning back in the seat and looking around the interior of the vehicle. It was sparkling, not a speck of dust in sight and she could smell the new car and leather smell. “Nice car.”

“Thank you.” Henry smiled, stopping at a red light and looking around. 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Sophie asked and Henry nodded, allowing her to continue. “Do you get recognised much when you’re out and about?”

“Sometimes. Whenever I have a movie or show out, then yes, until the hype dies down, I always seem to be easily spotted.” Henry said with a shrug. “I usually go out in hats or beanies, thick jumpers, so I guess if I was just walking down the street you wouldn’t really look twice but when I have Kal I think I’m a lot more easily spotted by my fans. Paparazzi, too, although they are frightened of Kal and seem to keep their distance.” He said with a sharp laugh.

Sophie nodded.

“Must be tiring,” She said absentmindedly as she looked out of the window. “I used to avoid popping out to the shops on my lunch because clients would see me and want to talk, some cheeky ones would even start grilling me about their pets like they wanted a free consultation.” She rolled her eyes, remembering those few entitled people. “I mean, not like that’s anywhere near the same as being famous and wanted, but that was tiring enough for me.”

“I never considered it like that. Tiring, I mean.” Henry said, carrying on the conversation. “I could also do without the bit about the paparazzi, but I have love for my genuine fans.”

“That implies you have some that aren’t genuine,” Sophie said with a smirk, turning to look at Henry. “Spill the beans.”

“Yes, unfortunately I do.” He sighed. “I have the ones who treat me like some piece of meat, who get offended at me wearing clothes as if I’m just supposed to prance around naked as the day I was born. Then there’s the ones who brush up against me purposefully with their lingering touches and they don’t stop flirting. The worst was a 69-year-old woman at Comic Con who pinched my rear. Repeatedly. As her oblivious grandson took photos of us.”

“69 wanted to 69 with _you_.” 

Sophie said with a wiggle of her eyebrows, totally forgetting that she was in a car with a man who knew nothing of her strange humour. She expected Henry to pull over and banish her from his vehicle, but he just started laughing loudly after grimacing.

“You are just awful,” He laughed again, shaking his head as he recalled the memory. “She looked like she wanted to eat me alive and her grip, oh god the grip.”

“She probably wanted you to Superman her.” 

“Now, I don’t know what that means,” Henry said as he pulled up outside of his house, the gates swinging open so he could park his car on the driveway. He turned off the engine, turning to fix Sophie with a look. “And I’m too afraid to ask.”

Sophie cackled loudly, opening the car door and getting out, making sure to shut the door behind her. Henry suddenly appeared and he made a noise, clearly displeased that she opened her own door. She wondered if he came over to open it for her, and if he had, what a gentleman.

“The pub is just down the road; it’s called the Builders Arms.” 

Henry mentioned as he held open the small gate leading out of the property and onto the sidewalk. Sophie thanked him and stepped out, waiting for Henry to join her as they walked down the road, side by side.

The Builders Arms was less than a two-minute walk & easy to spot as the pub was painted mint green and right on the corner of Kensington Court Palace. The outside terrace had a seating area with tables & chairs that was enclosed by an iron fence and was covered by awning, space heaters dotted around to combat against the London chill. Henry led Sophie over to one of the tables and pulled out her seat, smiling as Sophie sat down whilst thanking him.

“I’ll get us some menus,” He said with a smile. “Drink?”

“Yes please, a cocktail.” Sophie thought about what she wanted, realising she didn’t have a particular taste for anything. “Something sweet? I’m open to whatever you choose.”

Henry nodded, draping his jacket over the seat across Sophie before heading into the pub. Sophie sat up and watched through the window as Henry entered the pub, the patrons all turning at once to cheer which made her laugh. So, this must have been Henry’s local whenever he wanted a drink. 

Sophie watched in amusement as the old lady behind the bar pinched Henry’s cheeks and an elderly man passed patting Henry on the back, making small talk. Henry then pointed to the windows and Sophie quickly looked away, paying far too much attention to the chalkboard displaying todays specials, a blush on her cheeks at potentially being caught staring like a creep.

A few minutes later, Henry appeared with two menus tucked under one arm and a glass in each hand. He put a stemmed balloon glass full of clear pink liquid down in front of Sophie before taking a seat across from her and putting his own tall pint glass of beer down.

Sophie thanked him before looking down at her drink, intrigued. She could smell peaches coming from the glass and there was slices of orange, a few raspberries and plenty of ice floating within the pinkish liquid as well as a paper straw. She took a sip, her eyes lighting up immediately.

“Mmm, this is good.” She said, taking another sip. “I can taste gin?”

Henry nodded, passing her a menu.

“That is a raspberry and peach gintonica, recommended for a sweet tooth.”

“Great choice, I love peach!” Sophie took the menu, looking over the choices for Sunday lunch quickly before placing it down on the table. “Would you like to try some?”

Henry shook his head, taking another sip of his beer. How he did that without leaving a foam beer moustache on his upper lip was a mystery.

“So,” Sophie asked, leaning back in her seat. “What are you working on now? Are you allowed to disclose? I mean, I won’t exactly be running to any media outlets.”

“I’m awaiting to hear back about filming series one of the Witcher, I believe final plans are being made regarding the location.” Henry smiled. “I think it’s Budapest, but the studio is niggling out all the final details. I’ll be able to take Kal along which will be nice, and in the interim, I have training camps and commitments to keep me busy.”

Sophie nodded, listening intently as she took another sip of her drink.

“If I hadn’t gotten into the Royal Veterinary College, my second option would have been moving to take my studies in Budapest. Beautiful place. I went there one Summer to visit one of my friends who was studying. Have you played the game yet?”

“Yes, I started playing it to actually get a feel of Geralt but I haven’t had any solid time to dedicate towards playing.”

“You gotta make some time, Henry. I enjoyed playing it!”

A waitress came along, greeting the pair and blushing when Henry passed her the menus. She dropped them twice and continuously stuttered out apologies, but Sophie just smiled and helped her collect them from the floor. The pair placed their lunch orders and the waitress darted back inside.

“Wow, you seem to have a certain effect on women,” Sophie laughed as Henry blushed. “I bet that never gets old.”

Henry was quiet for a minute and Sophie opened her mouth to apologise but he cut her off with a wave of his hand, feigning sadness as he placed his hand on his chest and spoke in a slow, drawled out Southern accent.

“But what about my heart, and my kidness? It’s always about this Southern Belle’s looks!”

“Wooow,” Sophie snorted. “You ever thought about going into acting, kid?”

“Jeepers mister, you think I could really make it out there in that Holl-ee-wood?” He said with a laugh, his voice returning to normal. “How’s the accent?”

“It’s okay, I guess.” Sophie smirked with a wink. “Best to stick to your day job, though.”

The Sunday roast was delicious, not that Sophie expected anything else from a gastropub. Henry had opted for the roast sirloin of beef whilst Sophie had picked the half chicken and the pair ate and drank whilst conversing like old friends. Upon learning that Sophie was just as inclined to like ‘nerdy’ things as much as he did, Henry disclosed his love for Warhammer and Sophie smirked, letting Henry know that her first job as a teenager one Summer was working in the Games Workshop store. She never really got the hang of the game, but she enjoyed watching fans come into the store and explain everything to her, often inviting her to watch them play and customise their figurines. Sophie admitting this opened the floodgates and Henry couldn’t stop himself from talking about his hobbies and past times. 

Once the meal was finished, Henry paid and Sophie waited patiently as he stopped outside the pub to take pictures with two male fans, both of them lifting up their shirt sleeves to show Henry the hyper realistic Superman tattoos they had, one of Christopher Reeve as Superman and another of Henry as Superman, blasting his red eye lasers. The two men spent a few minutes talking to Henry before he politely said his goodbyes and left, apologising to Sophie for keeping her waiting. She said it was fine, seriously, because of course it was. 

“Those tattoos were insane. That one of you genuinely looked like someone glued a photo of you to their skin.” Sophie commented on their walk back to Henry’s house. “Wow, imagine someone having a tattoo of your face. Do you realise the impact your Superman has on this generation?”

“But,” Henry said with a smirk. “He’s no Batman, huh?”

Sophie laughed, playfully shoving Henry in the side as the pair stopped outside of his front gate. Henry once again held open the gate and Sophie walked inside, Henry following behind her.

“Thank you for lunch, Henry.” She turned around and smiled at Henry, who was smiling back. “May I check on Kal before I go?”

“I, uh, yes. Please. I would very much appreciate that.” He sighed, looking ashamed. “Sorry! My intentions for lunch were not to bring you back here to check on Kal, truly.”

“Can you stop that already. In case you hadn’t noticed, I asked if I could check.” Sophie said with a roll of her eyes. “You seriously think I have a problem seeing your amazing, friendly, super huggable dog?” She waited for Henry to reply, and when he said nothing she snorted. “Exactly. Lead the way, Cavill.”

Henry opened the front door, Sophie following behind him. Once again, the pair walked through the hallway and up the half set of stairs into the living room where Kal was sprawled out on the sofa, snoring loudly.

“Pig,” Henry muttered playfully, clapping his hands and whistling. Kal scrambled awake, looking around before barking and wagging his tail, rushing over to the pair. “You sleep like you worked the nightshift.”

“Excuse you, he had a traumatic night!”

Sophie laughed, dropping to her knees and opening her arms, Kal rushing over and flopping back against her chest, his paws in the air. Sophie raised an eyebrow and took the opportunity to feel around his previously hurt paw as Henry distracted him by scratching his chest.

“We should have thought of this last night, except, you know the other way around so I could inspect his paw.” Sophie muttered, satisfied when she felt no foreign objects between his paw pads. “Honestly Henry, I can’t feel anything. That coupled with the entire grass seed being picked out on Friday night and the fact that you’ve watched him carefully since. I’m happy to report, your boy is all good”

Henry smiled widely, standing up and holding his hand out to help Sophie off the floor.

“You hear that, Kal?! You’re healed!” He said happily, picking Kal up and swinging him around with ease. “Sophie, let’s celebrate with some champagne.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Your lovely comments and kudos are so appreciated and I thank you for taking the time to leave them for me. <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love everyone's enthusiasm when it comes to Puppy Love. Thank you so much for all your comments and kudos. <3

By Wednesday evening, grainy pictures of Henry and Sophie dining on the terrace of the Builders Arms were splashed all over the gossip rags, along with a short inaccurate article that kept referencing an imaginary ‘source close to the couple’ to back up its lies. Sophie was glad that whoever took the photos during their lunch at the Pub hadn’t stuck around to have documented her leaving Henry’s house far too later on in the evening, Henry having to help her to her awaiting taxi, not that he was any less drunk. The pair had easily finished a bottle of champagne between them and somehow ended up versing each other in several games of Crash Team Racing, Sophie only realising the time when Tina text her asking if she was still alive. 

Sophie couldn’t remember the last time she had indulged in playing a video game nor the last time she was able to play multiplayer with someone else who also enjoyed video games, Tina always refusing because she didn’t understand how people liked playing games. It had been a great Sunday and the entire taxi ride home she couldn’t hide the wide smile on her face, the alcohol in her system not helping with this.

“Hunky Henry Cavill spotted with stunning mystery woman,” Tina read aloud, having stopped at the Newsagents on the way home from work to purchase one of the magazines. “Sources close to the couple say whilst the romance is new, love has quickly blossomed between the pair. Superman has finally found his Lois Lane, sorry ladies! We have reached out to Henry’s publicist for comments and are awaiting to hear back.”

Sophie rolled her eyes, settling the hot dish of spinach cannelloni down on the dining table between the salad bowl & garlic bread and taking a seat across Tina. She took off her oven gloves and flung them onto the kitchen counter before pouring each of them a glass of wine. 

“That makes no sense. What source? We weren’t even hugging or anything. How more platonic can we get?” Sophie muttered as she dished herself some of the pasta and a large helping of salad. “Idiots.”

“Hey, at least they got the stunning part right,” Tina winked at Sophie, reaching for a piece of garlic bread. “I wonder who took the photos. You didn’t see any paparazzi?”

“Nah, none. Probably someone walking past. You know these magazines pay you for that shit.” Sophie rolled her eyes, spearing a salad leaf with her fork. “So, I signed an NDA and a zero hours contract this morning, and I’ve been asked to pet sit over the weekend. I’ll be gone Friday night. You’ll be alright staying here alone?”

“Oh yeah,” Tina said absentmindedly. “If I don’t wanna stay alone I’ll ask Andrew to stay over I guess.”

“Hey, Andy’s back in London?” Sophie said with a smile. She hadn’t seen Tina’s younger brother, Andrew, in years. “See if he can stick around, I’ll be back Monday morning. We can do brunch?”

“Ooh, that’s a good idea. He’s here the entire weekend sorting out the final wedding stuff. We can do a bottomless prosecco brunch with his fiancée if she’s free?”

“Yes! I still can’t believe he’s getting married!” Sophie said, finally digging into the cannelloni now that it was cool enough to eat. “When is the wedding again?”

“Soon,” Tina snorted. “First week of December.”

“Damn, that came around quick.” Sophie tapped her phone screen, looking at the current date. “I can’t believe it’s coming up to September already, where did this year go?”

“I know, right!” Tina agreed. “Before you know it, it’ll be Christmas. You need to hurry up and decide if you’re visiting your mum or dad. No more procrastinating!”

Sophie nodded in agreement (not that it would stop her procrastinating), scooping up some of the melted cheese with a piece of garlic bread and moaning as she chewed. 

“This is good. I think I used too much cheese, I mean, my arteries would be happy if I cut back on the cheese, but whatever,” Sophie laughed. “Seriously this is good.”

“And yet it seems to sit nowhere on you. I even look at a bar of chocolate and bam, it’s on my hips!” Tina said with a sigh, lamenting her slow metabolism. “Why are you surprised by your cooking skills?”

“I don’t do it enough, that’s why.”

“Oh, that could have so many meanings,” Tina said with a laugh, leaning forward to slap Sophie’s shoulder. Sophie rolled her eyes but laughed along too.

“You’re freak nasty,” Sophie said in between bites of dinner.

“Freak, freak, freak nasty!” Tina sang aloud, raising her wine glass. “Hey Alexa, play Freak Nasty by Megan.”

Sophie snorted as Alexa complied and began playing the song as she reached out to clink her wine glass against Tina’s.

*

“Oh,” Sophie mumbled to herself as she followed Emily around for the grand tour. Sure, she’d been to Henry’s house, but she’d only ever been led straight to the living room, so the full tour was something spectacular. She still couldn’t get over the fact that he had an underground basement and a lower ground floor basement. “Wow.”

In the basement was a swimming pool, home gym and spa room with a large bathroom, the lower ground floor had a cinema, two bedrooms with ensuites and an entire staff suite consisting of bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. This is where Sophie would be staying for the weekend, although Emily had made it clear that she had access to the upstairs too. Upstairs was the raised ground floor Sophie had seen before, as you entered the property in the hallway to the left was the kitchen, to the right the dining room and up the half set of stairs was the living room and outside terrace.

“All Henry asks is that you do not go upstairs to the first floor.” 

“Need for privacy understood. A lifetime of roommates will do that to you.” Sophie laughed. “I’m pretty sure Kal and I will spend the whole weekend in the gym or cinema anyway.” 

“There’s a whole bunch of movies downstairs, but you can also connect to the projector to stream whatever. You already have my number, right?” Emily turned to look at Sophie. “I’ve written it on the fridge just in case.”

Sophie nodded, patting Kal’s head as he stopped next to her.

“Thanks Emily. I’m pretty sure I’m set. I have Kal’s feeding instructions and I’ll take him out for walks morning and night. I know where the spare key is so I can get in and out…I think that’s it?”

“If you need anything, call me! Oh, and feel free to help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen or pantry. There’s ice cream in the freezer, too!” Emily said as she gathered her handbag and coat from the front, a lever arch file tucked under one of her arms. “Henry will be back on Monday around noon, but I’ll be here Monday morning around 9 so I’m fine to have Kal until Henry returns. See you on Monday!”

With a wave, Emily let herself out of the front door. Sophie looked down at Kal just as her stomach grumbled. She was glad she’d had enough foresight to stop at the Whole Foods market down the street before arriving. 

“Come on bud,” She patted her thigh as she walked into the kitchen, rummaging through the two bags of food she had purchased. “Dinner isn’t until 8, so you got another half hour to hang out. Then I’ll take you out. Sound good?”

Kal ran off, appearing moments later with a Superman stuffed toy which made Sophie roll her eyes. He dropped the toy at her feet, barking and jumping back and forth, clearly wanting to play.

“If this stops you being sad over Henry being gone, I’m down.” 

Sophie picked up the toy, launching it out of the kitchen and watching in amusement as Kal took off after it. Twenty minutes of playing had passed, and Sophie fed Kal his dinner, taking a seat at the kitchen island as she ate her own: two bread rolls and prepared vegetable soup she had purchased. 

There was no cutlery or plates to wash, so Sophie disposed of her plastic spoon and paper bowl before putting her groceries away in the fridge. She had somehow gathered enough willpower to not purchase chocolate bars and packets of crisps, so her choices of freshy squeezed juices, ready prepared salads, porridge pots & meats looked right at home nestled between Henry’s own healthy choices. She felt better knowing the bottom drawer of Henry’s freezer full of an assortment of Ben and Jerry’s and Haagen Dazs.

Another half hour passed, and Sophie thought it would be best to take Kal out before it was too late. The weather had remained gloomy, so she pulled her parka on over her leggings and sweatshirt and yanked on a pair of beat up sneakers that had seen better days, calling for Kal as she gathered his harness and leash, clipping the dispenser of waste bags onto his leash in case he needed to relieve himself.

Kal appeared, the Superman toy hanging out of his mouth only to be dropped when he realised he was going out. Sophie patted his side as she put on his harness and attached the leash, pocketing the spare key before heading out of the front door. She was glad for her thick, fleece lined coat because it was chilly outside.

“How about a walk down to Marble Arch?” 

Sophie said aloud as she let the pair out of the front gate, making sure to close it behind herself. She was half expecting Kal to drag her along given his strength and size, but he was patient, smart and very well trained and so he strolled alongside her, not once pulling. It was too dark to take a walk through Kensington gardens to reach Marble Arch, so the pair walked around on the pavement to reach their destination. 

Upon returning back after the hour-long walk, Sophie had taken a shower in the staff suite bathroom, nearly combusting underneath the glorious pressure of the rainfall showerhead. She changed into a pair of soft fluffy knit pyjamas, towelling her hair dry as Kal followed her into the cinema, taking a seat beside her on the sofa and resting his chin on her thigh.

“I bet you’re missing your dad,” She said with a pout, playing with Kal’s ears and tickling his whiskers. “He’ll be home soon, bud, and I don’t think I’m that bad company.

Sophie took the remote from besides her, taking a moment to figure it out before turning on the large screen and scrolling through the pre-loaded movie options. She settled on watching Spenser Confidential and she grabbed her phone as it loaded, snapping a photo of Kal who was still resting his head on her thigh and looking up at her with a convincing case of puppy dog eyes. She sent the photo to Henry before opening up a new text to Tina, letting her friend know just how amazing the shower pressure was. Tina text back a few options on what else could be done with the shower head and Sophie replied back with the middle finger emoji, adding a few of the crying laugh faces for good measure.

“My roommate is an idiot,” She muttered lovingly to Kal as she turned up the volume and got comfortable, splaying herself on the sofa with Kal resting on her legs. “You make a great foot warmer, bud.” 

*

Henry stepped out of the hotel bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist as he walked into his suite and over to his open suitcase, drying himself off hastily before pulling on a pair of boxers and flopping down onto the king size bed. He’d had a busy day of travelling and needed his rest for a screen test tomorrow, and then he had another on Sunday. 

His phone pinged from the end table besides him and he reached for it, opening up the text message from Sophie quickly. He was concerned that she was texting him until he noticed it was a picture of Kal. He smiled widely, looking at the photo. From the décor, he could tell they were in the cinema room and Henry knew all too well how great of a movie companion Kal could be. 

His phone rang shortly after, and whilst Henry wanted nothing more than to launch his phone halfway across the room and finally get some rest, it was his mother calling and he would never want to decline her call. He answered with a yawn, sitting up straight as he caught up with everything his parents had been up too. The call was short, Henry’s mum sensing how tired her son was through the line and the call ended with Henry promising to come back to Jersey soon and visit. It had been far too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Much love, as always.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your continued support and feedback. I have included some links at the end notes with images :)

“Kal,” Sophie sighed sadly, walking past the untouched kibble in Kal’s food bowl and taking a seat on the floor besides him, patting his furry side and raising an eyebrow as he let out a soft huff. “You were doing so good yesterday, bud, and there’s just one more day to go until your dad is back.”

The remainder of Friday night had been uneventful, both Sophie and Kal falling asleep on the incredibly plush sofa in the cinema room. Saturday had been the same, a long morning jog in Kensington gardens followed by breakfast outside on the terrace. It had started to rain around lunchtime, so the pair had returned inside and Sophie cooked herself some chicken, keeping a portion without seasoning and feeding bites of it to Kal as she cooked her meal in Henry’s kitchen. She enjoyed the ridiculously huge space and all the fancy, polished steel appliances. Kal had finished off his breakfast and the chicken but come dinnertime he had begun sulking and his dinner had remained untouched, the dog clearly upset. 

Sophie had thought some exercise would stimulate his appetite, but after returning from their evening walk, Kal had bypassed the full bowl of food in favour of sulking once again. He’d been found scratching upstairs at one of the closed doors which Sophie assumed was Henry’s bedroom and she’d somehow lured him back down into the kitchen where he was currently sat, looking mighty depressed. Not even a rawhide bone cheered up his mood and Sophie remembered Henry previously saying those were his favourite. The bone currently sat next to him and was ignored, the sadness of Kal missing his owner clearly apparent.

“You know I feel like a hypocrite right now,” She said as she scratched underneath Kal’s chin, lifting it up gently and staring into his eyes. “Usually, when owners would tell me their pet isn’t eating and there’s no actual problems, I’d say it’s fine because they will eat eventually when they’re hungry, but you, sir, you are just too good at those puppy eyes. I bet you know exactly how to butter your dad up.”

Kal looked up at her, clearly in understanding, and Sophie pulled him closer, hugging him against her body. He was still a little damp, the pair having been caught outside just as the evening rain begun, but she’d towel dried him off as best she could. Before she was aware of what she had done, Sophie took her phone from her pocket and texted Henry.

**Your fur baby is refusing to eat dinner. He had breakfast and some chicken, so in my professional opinion he has a case of SADNESS. :(**

Sophie was pretty sure she shouldn’t have been texting her employer (and there must have been something about this in the NDA that she clearly had signed without reading…oops. She was a professional, totally.) but updates about his dog were allowed, right? Plus, he hadn’t explicitly said to not do that, and Henry himself text her regularly so she figured it was alright.

She followed up the text with a picture of Kal and she could have sworn his eyes got wetter the minute he realised there was a camera on him.

“You really are a tart,” She said with a laugh, ruffling his fur. “Come on, bud, I’m gonna make myself some dinner and then shall we watch another movie?”

*

The final test scene was a wrap, so Henry rushed back to his trailer and brewed himself a cup of tea, checking through the updated schedule Emily had emailed over. He wanted to change his clothes to feel more comfortable but instead he took a seat still clad in his Geralt outfit (minus wig, thankfully the test scene didn’t require full outfit wearing. His scalp approved.), sipping his tea as he opened up a message previously sent from Sophie.

The message made him miss Kal even more, and the photo attached made it worse. He ran his fingers through his thick curls, checking his flight information for tomorrow. 

He had a seat booked for the last flight of the night tomorrow and seeing as the test scene would be completed by lunchtime he wondered if the time between had been left for him to get some relaxation. Whilst he would have appreciated that at any other time, this time around he didn’t want that. 

He wanted to be home as soon as possible and would rather return home on Sunday night instead of Monday lunchtime, so he gathered his booking information and called the Airline hotline to change the tickets. The female staff member who answered the call was happy to help, changing the flight for Henry and gushing about how much she loved him in the Tudors. He talked to her for a few minutes and thanked her for her assistance before hanging up, a new flight itinerary arriving in his inbox shortly after he disconnected the call.

There was a knock on the trailer door before it swung open, the director stepping inside with an innocent look on his face.

“Let me guess,” Henry said with a sigh, standing up and drinking the rest of his lukewarm tea quickly. “One more shoot?”

“Just one, big guy.” The director smiled, clapping both his hands on Henry’s broad shoulders. “Thank you!”

*

The following evening, Henry stepped out of the black cab as it stopped outside of his residence, thanking the driver as he passed along a few notes to cover the fare before grabbing his hand luggage and opening the front gate, walking up the steps to his house and putting the key into the door as he looked at his watch.

It was 10pm, he’d arrived at London Heathrow later than expected due to the flight being delayed by a few hours, but he was just glad to finally be home. He stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind him and taking off his shoes. 

Henry was so used to coming home to an empty house, void of any noises and warmth, lacking any human company with only Kal waiting for him that it took him a moment to realise there was loud music coming from his kitchen (Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper, a song he recognised as his mother had played it a lot as he was growing up) and so he hung up his coat, leaving his suitcases by the door as he walked towards the kitchen, too intrigued by what was happening in the other room.

He stood in the open doorway, looking into the kitchen and watching the scene with his arms crossed over his chest and a look of amusement on his face, not wanting to interrupt the moment as the music outro played on.

Sophie, dressed in a pair of pyjamas consisting of black and white vertical striped shorts and a plain black t-shirt with ‘fuck off I’m sleeping’ captioned on it, was singing along to the song playing, and dancing…with Kal. Who was on his hind legs, with his front paws on her arms. The pair were dancing together, and that’s why mans best friend clearly hadn’t heard said best friend arrive.

“When the working, when the working day is done, oh girls,” Sophie sang aloud into the wooden spoon she was holding in one hand, shimmying her hips as she slowly moved Kal around in a circle, the dogs tongue lolling out to the side in enjoyment. “They wanna have fun!”

The song came to an end and Sophie laughed, ruffling Kal’s ears. “Who knew all it would take to cheer you up was a good old groove to some 80’s classics?”

“I always thought he was more of a ballad man,” Henry said with a smirk, finally letting his presence be known. “He loves a bit of Whitney.”

Sophie let out a loud high-pitched shriek, the spoon dropping to the floor as she clutched her hand against her chest in an attempt to catch her breath. Henry laughed holding his hands up in apology and dropping to his knees as Kal launched himself into his open arms.

“Oh, bear, I’ve missed you!” He hugged Kal close, wrestling with him for a few minutes before standing up and smiling innocently at Sophie. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“You’re back!” Sophie said with a smile, her cheeks beet red from embarrassment at being caught. She really hoped he hadn’t been there too long to witness the entire scene. She picked up the wooden spoon from the floor, walking over to the sink to wash the utensil and her hands, willing herself to stop being such a goddamn dork. “You’re back?”

“Yes, I would have been back a lot earlier on today but there was a flight delay,” Henry said with a smile, moving around the kitchen to the sink to wash his hands once Sophie had finished washing hers. “It smells delicious in here.” He commented, looking at Sophie with a smile.

“I made dinner! Are you hungry? I was just going to put away the leftovers for you, but now that you’re here please help yourself.” Sophie turned on the burner, allowing the steak to warm up in the pan as she took the salad container out of the fridge, passing it to Henry as he grabbed himself a plate. “There’s top sirloin in a sesame and soy sauce, served with pickled pear, brusells sprout and cabbage salad.”

“That sounds delicious, and how thoughtful of you to leave me some. You don’t have to do this every time.”

“No bother, all I had to do was cook the steak, salad came prepared so I can’t even front like I slaved away making it.” Sophie shrugged and waved a hand in front of herself, further signalling it was fine with a smile. “I have a roommate, so cooking for one isn’t something I do well.”

Sophie leant against the kitchen counter, watching as Kal scarfed down the food in his bowl, clearly happy that his owner was home. Henry took a seat at the kitchen island, his plate full of food, and he thanked Sophie again.

“Seriously, it’s fine!” Sophie said with a smile. “Plus, aren’t you used to being waited on hand and foot? Mr Man of Steel, Mr Napoleon Solo,” She smirked. “I watched The Man from U.N.C.L.E last night. I can’t believe you have an entire section dedicated to movies that you starred in.”

“I like the movies I star in,” Henry said as he cut into his steak. “They’re the genres I would usually watch.”

“That’s a good excuse, Narcissus.” Sophie said with a smirk, Henry laughing behind her. “Don’t you get uncomfortable watching yourself?”

“I did, in the beginning, but I’ve been acting long enough now that I suppose I got used to it.”

“That makes sense,” Sophie suddenly felt awkward just standing there, talking to Henry as if they were old friends. She felt slightly out of place in Henry’s home now that he had returned, especially as he was so comfortable in the space, and of course he was, it was his home after all. “Oh, I guess I should go now that you’re back?”

“It’s late,” Henry raised an eyebrow. “Just stay, go tomorrow as was planned.”

“You sure you don’t want your privacy? I have no problem leaving.”

“Stay.” He said with a smile. “It’s nice.”

“Alright, cool.” Sophie washed up the dishes used, placing them on the drying rack and playing with Kal’s superman toy when he brought it over. She wondered what Henry meant by it’s nice. Maybe he was referring to the dinner? Surely, he couldn’t think her company was nice especially as he had caught her singing and dancing with his dog. She was a certified dork and Tina would never let her live this down if she knew. “I was just gonna watch a movie and go to bed after, anyway.”

“That sounds nice, I think I’ll join?” 

“To watch the movie, or go to bed with me?” She said with a smirk, laughing loudly when Henry blushed, the poor man clearly caught off guard. “I’m kidding!” 

Henry rolled his eyes, paying too much attention to his plate of food. Sophie giggled again and patted his back in apology (even though she totally wasn’t kidding. She had two eyes that were fully functioning, and she was well versed in how ridiculously handsome Henry was), hanging out besides him and filling Henry in on what Kal did over the weekend. Eventually she decided to give the poor man a break and walked into the living room to continue playing with Kal, allowing Henry some privacy to eat his dinner and unwind.

Henry ate his dinner quickly, enjoying the pairing of steak with the salad & placed his dirty dishes into the dishwasher before heading upstairs to shower, Kal by his side the entire time, clearly pleased to have Henry back. The shower was brief, and he changed into a pair of pyjama pants and a white shirt after drying himself off, much more comfortable now that he was home. He used the same towel to roughly dry the wetness from his hair before throwing it into the laundry basket and heading all the way down to the cinema room, Kal following behind like his shadow.

Sophie was sitting on the sofa and patted the space next to her, Kal jumping up and laying down. Henry sat next to Kal, reclining back on the couch and making himself comfortable as Sophie put the remote between them.

“I gotta admit,” Sophie mumbled as she reached for one of the pillows and hugged it to her chest. “I thought I fucked up by texting you and that’s why you came back early.”

Henry raised an eyebrow, looking Sophie’s way.

“Sophie,” He started. “That’s not the case at all. I genuinely missed Kal and I could return earlier, so I did. You’ve been honest and are great at taking care of Kal and I have no reason to fire you.”

“You totally could, though.” Sophie looked at Henry with wide eyes. “I ate some of your peanut butter crunch ice-cream.”

Henry mock gasped and rested a hand on his chest when he noticed the guilty look on Sophie’s face, happy to play along and pretend this new development hurt him when in fact he couldn’t care less. He’d grown up in a large family of all boys and had learned from an early age to share.

“You did?!”

“I’m sorry!” Sophie groaned, looking away and avoiding Henry’s gaze, feeling mighty embarrassed. “I went to the shop on the corner to replace it but he only had the strawberry cheesecake flavour, so I got that, but it’s like, that’s so far from peanut butter crunch, it’s not a close enough flavour match!”

“Oh, you ate some of my food and replaced it with an equally delicious flavour. Someone alert the press.” Henry rolled his eyes and patted his abs. “My trainer will thank you for getting into my ice-cream stash so I don’t have the chance.”

“Ugh, ridiculously handsome and happy to share? You’ve gotta be a reptilian shape shifter, no way you’re real.”

Henry kept his hand on his chest, blinking quickly in the hopes that he looked innocent.

“You think I’m handsome?” He said with a sigh. “Really?”

“There’s entire Tumblr accounts dedicated solely to your good looks.” Sophie rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty sure Henry Cavill shirtless is more searched than your name.”

“Why, Sophie.” Henry smirked. “Is this your roundabout way of admitting you’ve googled me shirtless? If you wanted to see the goods, why didn’t you ask?”

Sophie raised her eyebrow, lowering the pillow clutched against her chest. Gone was the blushing Henry from before, and Sophie was enjoying this new side of him, full of jest.

“Henry, I thought you’d never ask.” She smirked back, launching the pillow in Henry’s direction. “Maybe you can show me later, when you join me in sleeping together?”

Henry snorted and caught the pillow Sophie threw his way, his shoulders shaking as he laughed.

“You bested me.” He said between laughter and Sophie smiled widely. 

“Don’t you forget it, bud.” Sophie passed Henry the remote and looked up at the screen before looking back at Henry. “I was deciding on Weird Science, Encino Man or Bill and Ted, the first one. What’s the choice for you?”

“I mean, they’re all good choices, very American.” Henry said with a smile. “How about Weird Science? I haven’t seen that in forever.”

“Good choice. You know Oingo Boingo sang the song for it. Danny Elfman’s band.”

“…Didn’t he do the Simpsons theme?”

“Yup!” Sophie nodded. “He also composed the soundtrack for Nightmare before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, two of my favourites.”

“My brother used to be very scared of Edward Scissorhands when he was younger,” Henry said with a laugh. He didn’t usually bring his family up into conversation, but he felt at ease with Sophie, enough to disclose that at least. “I think we had the film on tape, and he used to scream whenever he saw the cover.”

“Your poor brother!” Sophie laughed, loading up the movie. “See, this is why I’m glad I was an only child.” She looked at Kal who was happily sat between her and Henry, clearly in a better mood seeing as his owner was near. She pet between his ears, scratching softly as she spoke. “He was a good boy. We went out for jogs, watched movies. He even hung out with me in the gym. He missed you a lot, you know, but he’s clearly glad you’re back.”

Henry smiled, moving down to pull Kal into a bear hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sophie & the floorplan for Henry's home: https://imgur.com/a/cXZZyb4  
>   
> Interior images of Henry's home:  
> https://imgur.com/uYWB1Nv  
> https://imgur.com/EMYhMnL  
> https://imgur.com/h7VXgBH  
> https://imgur.com/DppYXFB
> 
> BONUS - Sophie's pyjamas! https://imgur.com/bwAdPGe


	8. Chapter 8

Henry managed to stay awake through the entirety of Weird Science, Sophie beside him sharing movie trivia and Kal between them, every so often batting their hands with his snout for some attention but soon enough the day caught up with Henry and he found himself yawning loudly and stretching out on the sofa, his eyes getting heavier as he battled with his senses to stay awake. Jet lag was no joke.

“Henry,” Sophie said with a laugh, turning to look at him. “You’re like a toddler fighting to stay awake, just go to bed.”

“But FOMO.” Henry mumbled through a yawn and Sophie rolled her eyes.

“Fear of missing out on what, exactly?” She asked. “Me watching a Disney movie and singing along?”

“Maybe,” Henry mumbled. “I mean, you have a lovely singing voice.”

Sophie groaned, remembering that mere hours ago Henry had walked in on her singing her heart out to Cyndi Lauper and dancing around with his dog in his kitchen. She would somehow need to bleach the memory from her mind and then Henry’s.

“Stop reminding me!” 

Henry snorted, opening one eye and fixing Sophie with a glare.

“Fuck off, I’m sleeping.” He said, pointing to her pyjama top and the writing on it.

“Ugh, you’re a freaking dork!” Sophie laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Dorkus Maximus.”

“Takes one to know one.” Henry retorted.

“Dweeb! You’re so tired, I could do anything right now.” Sophie cackled, leaning forward as Kal jumped off the sofa and getting a little closer to Henry. “Could pluck your eyebrow hairs out one by one…Could draw you an old-time villain moustache with permanent marker.” She reached out her hand, ready to poke his cheek but Henry caught her wrist in his large hand, opening both eyes and staring at her.

“Too slow.” He smirked, letting her wrist go. “But better luck next time?”

“I bested you once before, I can do it again.” Sophie said with confidence, getting up off the sofa and turning the projector screen off. “Bedtime, Cavill. I suggest you sleep with one eye open.”

Henry yawned again and slowly got up off the sofa, stretching out and scratching at the exposed skin of his stomach as his shirt rode up.

“I’m sleeping with the door locked unless I want to wake up with no eyebrows.”

“Smart idea,” Sophie smirked as she turned off the lights and followed Henry out of the cinema room, Kal between the pair. “Here I was thinking you were just a pretty face.”

“Stick around and you’ll see exactly what I am.”

“Bud, I haven’t even been around long, and I already have an inkling,” Sophie leant down to hug Kal, ruffling his fur as she stopped outside the door for the guest suite, her unofficial bedroom whenever she was over to take care of Kal. “Goodnight guys!”

“Night, Soph.” Henry said through another yawn as he slowly walked up the stairs, Kal beside him.

Sophie waited until Henry was out of view before leaning back against the bedroom door and smiling to herself as she processed the day. Henry was fun and kind and ridiculously handsome and when he mentioned the fear of missing out it had made something in her stomach flip, nobody really cared about what she was up too other than Tina and it was…odd. Odd and nice, to feel all these new feelings.

“I can hear you scheming. Go to bed!” Henry yelled from somewhere upstairs and Sophie rolled her eyes, snickering to herself as she opened the bedroom door.

*

The following morning, Sophie woke up around 6am as she usually did when she was taking care of Kal and took a quick shower in the en-suite bathroom before getting herself ready for the day. She brushed her teeth, did her morning skincare routine and dressed herself casually in a pair of yoga pants and her well-worn University hoodie before drying her freshly washed hair, blow-drying it straight and then leaving the bedroom. 

She walked through the basement lounge, ready to go upstairs when some movement caught the corner of her eye and she stopped, turning around and heading into the gym. She wasn’t prepared for the sight in front of her, a shirtless Henry working up a sweat. He had his back to her and was at the dip stand, performing pull-ups. 

Sophie knew she was definitely heading into creep territory, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the beads of sweat moving down Henry’s rippled back and pooling at the base of his spine. He had his headphones in and seemed to be performing the pull-ups effortlessly which Sophie admired. She didn’t think she had ever been able to perform one.

Henry Cavill was muscle on muscle, and she had no problem spending all day glued in that spot watching him workout. She probably would have spent all day stood there watching him if Kal hadn’t trotted over and licked her hand.

“Kal!” Sophie said loudly, hoping Henry would hear. “Good morning, bud.”

Henry must have heard because he jumped down from the machine and took off his headphones, putting them down on the workout bench and smiling at Sophie, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath.

“Morning, Sophie.” Henry said with a smile, grabbing his towel and dabbing at his face. “I hope I didn’t wake you up?”

“Nah,” Sophie said with a wave of her hands. “I get up around 6 for Kal anyway. Did he eat?”

“Yes, I fed him.” 

“Cool,” Sophie said as she stood there, trying her hardest to not stare at Henry’s abs and his chest hair. She didn’t think guys nowadays kept their chest hairs. It was…manly and added to just how much of a hunk of a man Henry already was. “I wish I could do pull-ups.” She blurted out, and Henry raised an eyebrow.

“You can’t?” Henry asked as he put the towel down on the bench beside his headphones. “You’re really petite, Soph, shouldn’t be too hard?”

“You’d think that, but my small frame does me no favours here. I can just about deal with 50 bodyweight squats,” She snorted. “I can’t even lift a 20 kilo dog by myself. I bet you can lift Kal with one hand.”

“Nope, I need two hands for the bear, I’m not Superman or anything,” Henry laughed at his own joke, pointing to the dip stand. “Wanna try?”

Sophie laughed at the joke, her head tilting back as she chuckled. She approved of the joke, it was just her kind of terrible, totally hilarious humour.

“I think I actually will,” She said confidently, pocketing her phone and stepping forward. “I’m trusting you, Cavill!”

“Smart choice,” Henry smirked, waiting until Sophie was close enough. She really was petite and was a few inches taller than the two padded bars in the middle on either side of the dip stand. “Let’s start with an easy one, hold onto the grip bars, cross your ankles together and try and raise yourself using your bodyweight.”

Sophie nodded, doing as Henry instructed and holding onto the two padded bars on either sides of the machine, crossing her ankles as she made a feeble attempt at lifting herself up, the weak noises she was making added to the helpless look on her face and Henry took pity on her, wrapping his large hands around her tiny waist and noticing how his fingertips were nearly touching which further proved how tiny Sophie was. 

Sophie squeaked in surprise as she felt Henry’s warm hands around her waist, and he lifted her up and down with ease as if she weight nothing.

“You’re showing off at this point,” She laughed. “I get it, you’re a super strong man.”

Henry laughed from behind her, his hands a warm weight around her middle.

“If I was showing off,” He muttered. “I would make you get on my back whilst I did wide grip pull-ups on the bars all the way on top of you.”

Sophie looked up at the bars on top of the machine.

“You couldn’t…” She started. “Could you?”

“If I can, you make me breakfast. If I can’t, I make you breakfast?”

“DEAL!”

Sophie squeaked again as Henry lifted her up and set her beside the machine, rolling her eyes because yep, his chest was a little more puffed out and he was definitely showing off now. Henry grabbed the towel and used it to wipe himself down before he crouched down and motioned to his back, Sophie climbing onto him and wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. 

“Giddy up, pony!” Sophie laughed as Henry placed his hands under her thighs to keep her steady as he stepped towards the machine. He didn’t even smell of sweat, and she wondered for a moment if he really was from Krypton, or anywhere else out of this world for that matter. Nobody could be this perfect. “I’m ready, you ready?”

“Yes,” Henry said with confidence. “And I think I’m in the mood for pancakes.”

He raised his arms, gripping onto the bars above as he crossed his ankles and tested the weight of Sophie on him. She practically weighed nothing, in fact it was the same as lifting Kal and he smirked to himself, completing one wide grip pull-up and then another. When Sophie said nothing and simply tightened her grip on him, he carried on, Sophie counting aloud with each pull-up Henry completed. They got to 25 before she officially called him a show off and said she would find him an application for the next Strongman competition. 

“So,” Sophie said as she climbed off Henry and passed him his towel, feeling slightly lightheaded from the sheer display of masculinity. “Pancakes?”

“Yes, please.” Henry smirked. “I’m just going to shower. Would you mind letting Kal into the garden?”

“No problem.”

And that was how Emily found the pair when she let herself into Henry’s home, Henry and Sophie sat at the kitchen table each with a stack of syrup coated pancakes on their plates with Kal under the table, hoping for some crumbs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two, honestly. What are we gonna do with them?!
> 
> Your comments and kudos continue to uplift me. I once again hope you enjoyed this chapter. <3


	9. Chapter 9

Henry crouched down, embracing Kal with a sigh before standing up and smiling sadly at Sophie who was stood in his hallway. He’d just returned from the test shoots two weeks ago, but he had another busy week ahead of him which included a final meeting with Netflix executives in LA regarding the first series of the Witcher. 

Henry was kicking it all off by flying out to LAX today, hence why Sophie was back in his home where she’d be keeping Kal company for the next week. He hadn’t seen her since their pancake morning two weeks ago, but the pair had been checking in and texting one another during the fortnight they had been apart. 

Sophie still couldn’t believe that she was regularly texting and was building a friendship with a man who had several thirst trap fan pages on social media. The world worked in strange ways.

“Don’t worry about him,” Sophie said with a small smile, leaning against the doorway. “I promise I’ll keep you updated, and you know he’s in good hands.”

Henry nodded, thanking Sophie as he picked up his hand luggage and exited the house. Sophie locked the front door once Henry was gone and turned around to look at Kal.

“It’s seven days, bud. You can do this.”

Kal whined loudly, clearly objecting. Sophie giggled, reaching down to scratch his chin.

“Drama queen! You act like I’m the worst person to be around. Is this because of the whole grass seed incident?” She raised an eyebrow, resting her hands on her hips as she looked down at Kal. “Because let me tell you, I didn’t plant the grass seed in there!”

Sophie walked down to the cinema room, powering up the screen and her Xbox One. With Henry’s permission she had hooked it up to the gigantic cinema screen and she looked forward to replaying the remastered version of Arkham Asylum in glorious oversize. Not that she had told Henry her plans, she’d told him she would probably just play Injustice and assured him she would play as Superman at least once.

“I lied,” She admitted aloud to Kal as he trotted into the room, a large rawhide bone in his mouth. Clearly, he had no clue what deception she was referring to. “If anything, when I play Injustice, I’m gonna play as Batman against Superman.” She laughed loudly, sitting back on the sofa and calling for Kal to sit beside her as the game menu loaded, the dog complying and chewing his bone happily.

*

By day 4 in LA, Henry was going stir crazy. Whereas he had some semblance of privacy in London, there seemed to be none across the pond. Paparazzi flashed their cameras in his face whenever he left his suite, vapid men and woman fawned over him (often arguing amongst themselves for his attention, a pair of identical twins had even started fighting each other for his autograph, as if he couldn’t give them both one?) and his Publicist and her team kept trying to suggest staged, fake dates with up and coming celebrities, promising it would give him more attention and further his career. He didn’t want that, though. He wanted to return home to his dog and play on his PC, he wanted to have more nerdy conversations with Sophie and listen to her talk about animals.

After a particularly long dinner with two of his Justice League co-stars, Ben and Gal, who were somehow both in town and free at the same time, Henry returned to his hotel suite completely drained of all social skills. Both his co-stars were going through turbulent times, Ben especially so, and Henry had found himself almost caught in the middle between his friends. He was glad it was over now, and immediately stripped to his boxers and dived under the covers, checking his phone.

There was a voicemail from his mum, thirty-three messages in the group chat with his brothers and several photos from Sophie that had been sent hours ago. He bypassed the voicemail and group chat, instead opened up the images, smiling at Kal doing what he did best, being a complete tart. The last image was that of the cinema screen, Sophie had been playing Injustice and…playing as Batman. Against Superman. The second image showed Superman knocked out with Batman being crowned the victor.

Henry sent back the puking face emoji, banning her from playing anymore in his home. Though there was a time difference of 8 hours, Sophie was clearly up early because she replied back with several laughing face emojis almost instantly, asking him how LA was.

He replied honestly, that it was too much and he just wanted to be back in London, and Sophie reminded him that he just had a few more days and that sometimes things in life weren’t fun but had to be dealt with anyway. Henry replied with a gif of Gandalf nodding his head on a loop and Sophie sent him another image, Kal by her side in his harness and leash, the two clearly going out for their morning walk.

This reminded Henry that it was coming up to midnight in LA and he was tired, so he wished her a good day and put his phone under his bed, turning off the bedside lamp and shoving his face into his pillow as he relaxed and allowed sleep to overtake him.

*

Sophie stood in Henry’s kitchen, making quick work of washing up the dishes and pans she used whilst cooking. She turned off the taps and dried her hands, frowning when she smelt the familiar, heavy scent of fox urine in the air. She looked around before looking down, noticing Kal who must have been sat obediently by her side as she was washing up. 

“…You smell like fox pee.” Sophie turned to fix Kal with a stare, the dog looking back at her very innocently. She raised an eyebrow, bending down a little to sniff Kal’s fur and yes, that confirmed the smell. “Kal, did you roll in fox pee in the park?!”

Sophie scratched the back of her neck, wondering what to do. She had no qualms with giving Kal a bath, but she’d need to ask Henry where Kal’s bathing supplies were because she didn’t want to go snooping through his cupboards. Unsure if Henry would even reply considering he was quite busy in the States, Sophie grabbed her phone and called Emily who answered almost instantly.

“Hi Sophie! Is everything okay?”

“Hi Emily. I’m sorry for calling, but I didn’t want to bother Henry. I think Kal managed to roll in some fox pee during our walk this morning so I want to bath him if I can. Would you happen to know where his shampoo and towels are?”

“Good question, and one I can’t answer.” Emily said with a short laugh. “I have no clue, sorry!”

“Okay…” Sophie pressed the phone to her ear as she thought aloud. “I could always stop at Pets at Home and just grab what I needed. The only problem is I don’t think there’s one within walking distance and I’d rather not leave Kal here…especially in his state. Smelling like fox pee is one thing, but the smell transferring onto the sofa is another.”

“Do you have a driving license?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Okay, then I can help! Take Henry’s Range, I know he has a waterproof mat down in the trunk for Kal whenever he gets too muddy, so pop him in the back and head to the pet store?”

“…Are you sure?” Sophie raised an eyebrow. “He wouldn’t mind?”

“Yes of course I’m sure! Like I’d want you to spend any more time with a stinky Kal,” Emily laughed. “Just do me a favour and send me a photo of the front and back of your license so I can get some temporary insurance in place, it’ll take me 5 minutes to do once I get the photos.”

“Thank you, Emily!” Sophie gathered her license from her pocket. 

“No problem, thank you for bathing the beast. Henry is usually the only one comfortable with doing that, I think because Kal needs to be brushed too? But hey, you’re the Vet, I think Kal is in the most capable hands!”

Sophie laughed, leaning against the counter.

“So, the keys are in the third kitchen cupboard closest to the pantry and please keep the receipt so I can reimburse you. I’ll await the license photos.”

“Thank you, Emily, I’ll send them now.”

Sophie disconnected the line, sending Emily the requested photos of her license before placing it back into her purse and then gathering the car keys from the cupboard. Kal was following her cautiously, no doubt aware of the bath he would soon be having.

“You can pout all you want,” Sophie said with a smirk. “But you’re the one who decided to roll in fox piss, so you have reaped what you have sown, good sir.”

As soon as Emily text her to confirm she had temporary car insurance on the Range Rover for the next 24 hours, Sophie gathered her phone and the car keys and clipped Kal’s leash to his collar, avoiding the harness because it would just rub against his fur and end up stinking too.

“Come on, Pepé Le Pew,” She said with a laugh, stopping at the floor length mirror by the front door and fixing the escaped tendrils of hair, pushing them back into her messy bun. She looked presentable, in an oversized hoodie with no stains (surprisingly) and leggings, and she slipped into her sneakers before pocketing the house key and exiting to the vehicle.

Kal jumped into the boot as soon as the back door opened, clearly used to this routine and Sophie smiled, patting his cheek before pressing the button on the car keys to automatically close the trunk door. She got into the vehicle, laughing as she adjusted the car seat all the way forward and even made it higher, remembering just how huge Henry was compared to her. 

The engine was a push start, so she started it up with a press of a button, looking around to see where the indicators were and getting her bearings. Pop music played softly through the speakers and Sophie stared at the front gate, trying to remember what Henry did to get it open. 

She eventually remembered him pressing a button on the sun visor and so she pulled it down, pressing the small electronic button on the box that was there. The gate opened and she googled the nearest Pets at Home, which was 15 minutes away in Battersea, inputting the directions into the sat nav before looking at Kal in the rear-view mirror.

“Ready to go, bud?”

Kal replied with a strange whine/snort and Sophie took that as a yes, giving him a thumbs up in the rear-view mirror, like the dog understood the concept of a thumbs up. She reached for her phone, flipping the camera view and taking a selfie of herself with Kal in the background and before she could think about what she was doing she sent it to Henry and stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

*

As soon as Henry awoke, he checked his phone, curious to the twenty messages he suddenly had, all of them coming from Sophie. He thought he had heard his phone go off sporadically through the night, but he’d been too tired to attempt to look at the screen.

He opened up each of the images, patiently waiting for them to load and smiled widely once they did. The first image was a selfie of Sophie with Kal in the background and the remainder of the images were of Kal in the bathtub, mountains of bubbles surrounding him as he looked at the camera with his tongue lolled out and the last three were: Kal being towel dried, Kal shaking himself dry in the background, Sophie in front of him, dripping wet with a sad pout on her face and the last photo was Kal looking very smug, spread out on the wood flooring of the living room with huge piles of his fluffy hair around him, clearly so smug from being washed and brushed and pandered to. Sophie had captioned the photo ‘hair washed and groomed, nails trimmed and ears cleaned. New dog, who dis?’ which had made Henry laugh aloud.

This made him miss home and Kal even more, and he typed out a message to Sophie, reminding himself that is was okay, just two more nights and he would be returning to London.

**WOW, he’s been pampered. Usually I’m the only one brave enough to wash and brush the beast. You’re spoiling him and this made me miss him even more!**

Three dots in a bubble suddenly appeared and Henry looked at the time. It was 7am for him, so it must have been around 3pm back home.

**We picked up an early Halloween costume, too. I don’t think you will miss him after this…**

Another photo followed Sophie’s message and Henry gasped. Kal was dressed in a Batman dog costume, his tail clearly wagging from the way it was photographed in motion (traitor!) and Sophie was crouched beside him, giving the camera the thumbs up with a wide smile on her face. She may have looked angelic in the photo, but that didn’t mean she could do such a thing to his poor dog.

**We are due words when I’m back.**

He typed, adding a laughing emoji to the end to ensure his comment came off as light-hearted as he meant it. Sophie replied back almost instantly, and Henry snorted as he read her message.

**Being fired over this would totally be worth it. See you soon! x**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thank you again for all your comments and kudos. I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter and that everyone continues to keep as safe as they can. Much love to you lovely people!


	10. Chapter 10

True to his word, Henry did return from Los Angeles and made sure the first thing that he did upon arriving home was scoff at the Batman dog costume that hung in the small closet besides the kitchen. The closet was once empty, but now housed all of the things that were for Kal. 

Henry appreciated how Sophie had transformed the closet space into something, because since he’d purchased and renovated his house, he’d had trouble with turning it from a house into his home. Sure, interior decorators had come in and transformed the place, but it was still missing personal touches and he couldn’t grasp how to turn the palatial space into a homely environment. It didn’t help that he had to travel often and could never put solid time aside to dedicate towards doing this. 

The small closet was actually spacious, there were shelves lining one entire wall and the space would easily fit a single bed. It had remained empty, Henry choosing to install the shelving but not doing anything else to it. It now housed Kal’s beds and blankets, boxes of toys and grooming equipment. Henry would have been embarrassed at how spoilt his dog was if any other person was in his space, but Sophie seemed to understand the love and bond one had with their animal.

Sophie stood next to Henry as he huffed and puffed, laughing loudly as he pretentiously rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Kal circled the pair, his tail wagging furiously, completely oblivious as to what was happening and just content that his owner was back.

“If I didn’t already know who you were and what you did,” She said between laughter, her stomach starting to cramp from just how much of a belly laugh she’d let out. “I’d suggest you try acting.”

“Isn’t this abuse?” Henry grumbled. “He doesn’t know what you’re getting him to do. Kal’s innocent!”

Sophie rolled her eyes and pushed at Henry’s thick arm, not that it did anything. 

“I mean you can feel free to complain about me to the RCVS, but I don’t know if they’d be willing to investigate into…me putting an animal costume onto your willing animal.”

“He wasn’t willing.”

“Oh?” Sophie said with a raised eyebrow as she patted her thigh and watched as Kal rushed over. She cupped his face in her hands and stroked his muzzle with her thumb. “Did you like the costume, Kal?” 

Kal’s tail wagged on overdrive and Sophie pressed a kiss to between his eyes before standing up and crossing her arms over her chest, smirking at Henry.

“I take that as a yes.” She said proudly. “I’m a Vet, you can’t argue with me!”

Henry laughed and ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry,” He apologised. He didn’t mean to be so tense and uptight; he was just tired after the non-stop trip to LA and the long flight home didn’t help. “I’m not being serious, honest.”

“I know, I mean it would be a pretty shitty thing to be serious over.”

“Yes,” He sighed. “You’re right.”

“Of course, I am.” Sophie said as she led him into the living room. “You tired? You wanna sleep, should I go?”

“No,” Henry waved a hand in front of himself. “Stay for a bit, it’s not even evening yet. We should watch a movie, but first I’m just going to shower.”

Sophie nodded and followed Henry back over to the front door, watching as he picked up his luggage and carried it back into the living room. She followed and took a seat on the sofa, leaning against Kal as he jumped up next to her and laughing internally because she was behaving like Kal and following after Henry as if he was her owner.

“I got you something,” Henry said absentmindedly as he unzipped his suitcase and held out a blue cereal box. “I remember you said you liked this one and it’s hard to get over here, right?”

“Boo Berry!” Sophie shouted happily, grabbing the box and clutching it against her chest. The last time she’d had this cereal was when she had a semester abroad in California and the few boxes she’d bought back hadn’t been enough for her cravings. She remembered telling Henry this story and felt a spark of joy in him remembering and thinking of her. “Thank you!”

Henry smiled and nodded, standing up and closing his suitcase again. Sophie put the box of cereal down on the coffee table and got up, pulling Henry into a hug and wrapping her arms around his chest, or as far as they could go around his muscle, squeezing tightly as she did.

“Should we have some?” She said happily, pulling away from Henry and grabbing the box again so she could shake the contents in glee. “I’m so excited!”

“I can tell,” Henry laughed. “Unfortunately, none for me. It doesn’t sound that appetising....”

“What!” Sophie gasped and rested her hands on her hips. “You can’t just make such a terrible assumption. It’s basically nectar of the Gods, Henry. The Gods!”

Henry rolled his eyes and laughed as he picked up his suitcase.

“You’re the dramatic one. Perhaps we should switch roles?”

“Huh…Dr Henry Cavill, has a ring to it.” Sophie smirked. “But your good looks don’t deserve to be wasted on animals.”

“Technically then,” Henry mumbled as he made his way up the stairs. “Neither do yours.” 

Sophie followed and stood at the base of the staircase. 

“Henry?” She called out, patting Kal’s side as he rushed up the stairs after Henry. “I’m going downstairs! Meet you in your cinema.”

“Okay,” Henry called from upstairs. “I’ll see you down there.”

Sophie grabbed the cereal box and her phone and made her way downstairs into the cinema room, settling back into the comfortable sofa cushions and unlocking her phone. She opened Instagram and began scrolling and somehow, half an hour later she was 50 meme pages away from where she started, eating dry handfuls of cereal. At some point, Henry and Kal had joined her as she heard the Netflix home screen login, but the memes were too good and kept her glued to her phone. She carried on scrolling, frowning and using her thumb to stop the page from scrolling upwards because there was a photo of a very familiar albeit younger man looking back at her.

“Henry, it’s you…” She mumbled, moving to look at Henry who was sat to her left and showing him her screen. “That’s weird, I wasn’t expecting tha-OH MY GOD IS THIS ONE OF THOSE WE LOVE HENRY CAVILL FAN PAGES?!”

Henry groaned and Sophie cackled wildly, going back to looking at her screen and viewing the profile along with all the many photos of Henry. Henry had no problem with the fan pages, in fact he owed his entire career to his loyal fans and he still couldn't believe people chased him down for photos and hugs, but to be reminded of the rather...excitable pages was embarrassing, especially when he was being eyed up like a piece of meat and nothing more.

“Oh wow, it is. They even have baby photos of you. How did they even…” She sighed. “Now, how did they even manage to get those?!”

“I wish I knew.” Henry mumbled. “I hope they don’t have any shirtless photos of me with thirsty captions.”

“Too late,” Sophie smirked as she checked the comments underneath a shirtless photo of Henry. “They’re calling you all variations of daddy over here.”

Henry shook his head and Sophie smiled, reaching out to pat his shoulder.

“There, there. It’s hard having the world thirst over you, isn’t it?”

“You’re an ass.” He said as seriously as he could. “You are not funny.”

“I’m goddamn hilarious, buddy.” Sophie went back to the comments. “Oh my god there’s a looong comment waxing poetic about your fingers!”

Sophie began reading the pseudo-poem out loud in an old English accent which made Henry shake his head and start laughing loudly. It must have been infectious because it set Sophie off too and before they knew it, the pair both sat on the sofa heaving for breath in between laughter until Sophie reached her hand out to slap against Henry’s vibrating chest, pleading for him to stop because she was going to die.

“Drama Queen,” Henry said as he wiped the tears from his eyes having laughed so much, he made himself cry. “It was your fault!”

“Was not!” Sophie pouted as she reached for another handful of cereal and finally put her phone back into her pocket. “Man, you got some creative fans who love every part of you.”

Henry scowled again and Sophie rolled her eyes, holding a piece of blueberry flavoured corn cereal in front of his face. 

“Try?” She asked nicely, smiling and popping it on Henry’s palm when he reached his hand out. She watched as Henry chewed on it slowly and snorted. “Alright, Masterchef. Final verdict?”

“Awful.” Henry shook his head and made a face. “Way too chemical-tasting.”

Sophie gasped and glared at Henry.

“Batman would love them, I’m sure of it.” She glared again. “That’s why he’s way better than Superman.”

“Next time I see Affleck I’m asking him how much he likes Boo Berry.”

“Haha, jokes on you, he’s not the Batman whose opinion I would trust!”

Before Henry could ask the intricacies as to which Batman’s opinion could be trusted, Sophie’s phone vibrated in her pocket and she took it out, unlocking it and looking at the message from Tina.

“Hey, Henry?” She asked without looking up from the screen. “You up for coming to mine tonight and joining Tina and I for some dinner? She just messaged me.”

“Did she invite me,” He asked. “Or are you being nice and extending the invitation?” 

“Oh my god,” Sophie groaned and fixed Henry with a stare. “Why are you so prim and proper and British?”

Henry snorted and waited for Sophie to answer.

“I’m extending the invite, but it’s not like she would be annoyed if you joined.” She responded with a shrug. “Suit yourself buddy, she was planning on making some delicious Sudanese food. Your loss!”

“No!” Henry said quickly, excited at the prospect of trying new cuisine. One of his favourite parts of travelling around the world was exploring the different cultures, customs and all the different food. “I would like that, to join you both. After the long flight home, I don’t think I’d be able to muster the strength to cook something and I’ve never had Sudanese food before.”

“Oh, it’s delicious and Tina cooks it well…plus, let me guess…your abs don’t approve of pizza?” Sophie nodded in agreement, even though she didn’t agree. Pizza was close to her heart and she would never turn it down. “You can bring Kal too, I’m sure he’d love that.”

Kal trotted along at the mention of his name, his tail thumping against Henry’s legs.

“Kal!” Sophie said happily as she began scratching behind his ears. “You and _daddy_ ,” She smirked at Henry innocently as he snorted. “-Will be coming over to mine tonight!” 

“Just for that,” Henry muttered as he got up and went over to his DVD collection, finding the disc and taking it across to the player. “We’re watching Man of Steel.”

“Not even Batman v Superman?!”

“Nope!” He smiled widely in Sophie’s direction, his teeth glistening in the dark of the room. “After all, _daddy_ says so.”

Sophie cracked up laughing again.

“You know how many women wish that you said that to them?”

“I don’t…” Henry asked innocently, not sure where Sophie would be taking this. “Why?”

“Well,” Sophie smirked back. “Let’s go back on that Instagram account and find out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for all your support and comments.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience and all the love you show this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

After Henry had returned from Los Angeles, Sophie hadn’t seen Kal or heard from Henry for just over two weeks. Sophie knew Henry had a break in his schedule and was happy to be home for a period of time, so she let the man have his peace (apart from the odd text and meme) and carried on living her busy life. In that time of not seeing Henry or Kal, she’d had a horrendous 12-day job of giving a housecat it’s daily dose of thyroid medicine (something that she would never do again without heavy duty gloves, the cat wanting to shred her to pieces whenever she forced the medicine into its mouth. How she escaped without a scratch was still a mystery. She must have had an Angel looking over her shoulder), endured a painful cramp filled 4-day menstruation in which she ate her own bodyweight in cheesecakes, KFC & chocolate (not together, because that was just gross) and an old friend had called in a favour asking her to come into their Veterinary practice and help with routine surgeries. 

It had been fun to spend the entirety of the day completing operations but also incredibly tiring. There had been several canine spays, feline castrates and two large canine dentals, one of which needed 15 extractions. Sophie’s arms had a workout that day from the amount of tugging and pulling she’d had to do on the Mastiff’s teeth, and she felt guilty once the sedation was reversed and the dog woke up howling in pain. The Veterinary world wasn’t a glamorous one.

After the tiring Friday she’d had, the only thing Sophie thought about on the train home was crawling into bed with a bar of Dairy Milk and relaxing in bliss. Unfortunately, her bubble was burst immediately as the train went back overground and her phone reconnected to her service provider, her Whatsapp group chat pinging to life with all the missed messages and reminding her of the planned birthday dinner with one of her old schoolfriends.

Tina was getting ready by the time Sophie arrived home and she gave Sophie one look up and down before thrusting a can of Red Bull into her hand and shoving her into the bathroom. The only relaxation Sophie managed to get was from the hot water beating down on her, and even then, it was nothing compared to the shower in Henry’s gym. She still had dreams about that glorious shower and all the massage functions.

With a towel wrapped around her body, Sophie brushed her teeth to freshen up and then exited into her bedroom, holding the towel with one hand as she used the other to go through all the dresses in her wardrobe. Reservations were at a bar & restaurant where there was a private dining booth booked and, just as Christmas and New Year’s, birthdays meant getting dressed up. Good thing these events were yearly as the dress code was far from her comfy norm, although deep down Sophie loved the chance to get herself all prim and proper, glammed up for once. The end result was worth it, and she always felt like a Princess. 

Sophie settled on her outfit for the evening, an off the shoulder bardot puff sleeve sequinned mini dress that was pink and a pair of Jimmy Choo Dochas 100 embellished pink suede high heels, one of her newest ‘going out shoe’ purchases and a quick favourite with the barely-there straps detailed with shimmering crystals. The dress definitely couldn’t afford any VPL so she put on a pair of the laciest underwear she owned and a strapless push up bra, spritzing her body liberally with her favourite perfume, Dior Pure Poison. 

With the bardot neck of the dress there was no need for a necklace, it would just distract from the outfit so Sophie put in a pair of square diamond stud earrings and dried her hair, sitting down as she called Tina in to curl her hair in loose waves whilst she did her makeup. 

“Ooh, are you gonna wear that?” Tina pointed to the outfit on the bed. “Sexy!”

“It’s cute, right? Got it from this little boutique on Carnaby Street.” Sophie cracked open the can of Red Bull, downing half of it in one sip. “What do you think? Heavy eyeliner, a bit of a soft nude cut crease, maybe a bit of pink glitter to go with the vibe of the dress, and…Velvet Teddy on the lips?” She asked, holding up the MAC lipstick.

“I will be sorely disappointed if you don’t get any action tonight,” Tina said as she sectioned Sophie’s hair and reached for the heated curling iron. “Also do my eyeshadow after please. I want a smoky eye with glitter!”

“Sure thing my friend.” Sophie said as she finished her Red Bull. “I’m so glad my period is over, that was the worst.”

“Hey, rather period than pregnant, right?” Tina said with a laugh and Sophie raised her empty can, nodding in agreement.

The girls arrived at The Wellington Restaurant and were escorted inside to their booth once their ID’s were checked. Sophie immediately ordered a bottle of champagne and passed the birthday girl her gifts before sitting down and catching up with all 7 of her friends. A few had been friends since high school, and the rest met at University, but together the group had collectively known each other for a long while. Most were married, with families and high-flying careers so it was nice to have the chance to get together and unwind like the good old days.

Dinner was served, as were too many drinks, and Sophie had enough double vodka Red Bull’s in her system to drag Tina onto the dancefloor, the pair soon being joined by more of the girls as they danced together.

Four songs later, Sophie somehow found herself at the other end of the dancefloor and instead of pushing her way back in she decided to cut her losses and head over to the bar for another drink. She leant against the counter, easing the ache off her feet as she waited for a bartender to serve her. None of the barstools lining the bar were free, not that she wanted to sit down. She would probably fall off, so having the bar to lean against as she stood was the safest bet. She suddenly felt someone standing way too close to her and turned around with a frown, staring at the strange man looking at her like she was a fresh piece of meat.

“Can I help you?” Sophie asked, trying to put some distance between them. “Listen, mate, you need to back up like twenty steps.”

“Let me buy you a drink,” He said as he did the exact opposite and stepped closer, reaching his arm out in an attempt to paw at her bare shoulder. Sophie frowned even harder and held her hand out as a barrier before he could put his nasty nonconsenting hands anywhere near her.

“No,” She didn’t want to make a scene, but if this man took one step closer that’s exactly what would happen. “Fuck off, creep!”

Suddenly, Sophie felt a warm, chiselled body pull up on her other side, a familiar voice rumbling past her ear as a firm arm came around her waist. She knew who it was before he even spoke, just the sheer masculinity alone and she could pinpoint who it was, so she leant back into his chest, her bare back heating up as it pressed against the warm, solid muscles hidden behind fabric.

“I believe the lady said no.” Henry muttered, glaring at the man as he took a seat on the empty bar stool besides Sophie. “You either leave, or I ask Security to escort you out.”

The man left quickly, and a smart choice really seeing as he looked like a child compared to the hunk of man that was Henry. Sophie waved him the middle finger as she watched him move towards the exit and once he was out of sight and mind, she turned to look at Henry, smiling widely and forgetting he was holding her close, almost like an embrace. 

To anyone watching the pair right now, it would definitely look like a very romantic embrace, especially as Henry was seated on the barstool next to her and Sophie was somehow hovering over his lap, one of her slim thighs half on his lap as he held a firm arm around her waist, his thumb absentmindedly stroking the fabric resting on her hips.

“Superman,” Sophie slapped Henry’s shoulder with the back of her hand, smiling so hard her cheeks were starting to hurt. The music was loud, so she leant in even closer to Henry’s side, all but whispering into his ear. “You saved the day, er, night!”

“I’m sorry he was bothering you,” Henry muttered as he gave Sophie a sly once over, noting how she smelled like pure seduction, vanilla and jasmine. He signalled the bartender over and got a bottle of water, opening it and passing it to Sophie. She had red, rosy cheeks and glassy eyes. A clear indicator she was having a good evening. “Drink this.”

“Can handle myself, I was ready to make a scene.” She mumbled as she gulped down the water, a few droplets missing her lips and sliding down her chest, Henry’s eyes naturally following. Sophie was too busy trying to flag the bartender down again to notice. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I’m out?” Henry replied, as if it was a normal thing to do, because of course it was. Actors were people too after all. “With my youngest brother who came to visit, and some of his friends.”

“I’m out too!” Sophie said as if it wasn’t already apparent as she waved her hands in the air, immediately getting tired and putting them down so she could finish the water. “It’s my friends’ birthday, you know which means I get to dress like a girl for once!”

“Well, you look beautiful, there shouldn’t need to be a birthday to do it more often.” Henry said with a smirk, motioning to her entire outfit and watching as it sparkled as Sophie did a little happy sway. “I hope you’ve had a good night so far?”

“Yeah, it’s been good! We were dancing, and then I don’t know what happened.” She pouted, resting her cheek on Henry’s shoulder and looking up at him. The pair had remained closer, whispering in one each other’s ears as the entire conversation took place. The music was to blame, it was hard to hear one another even within close proximity. “Hey, if I look so pretty tonight why don’t you ask me to dance?”

Henry raised an eyebrow, complying with the forward demand and asking Sophie if she wanted to dance.

“I thought you’d never ask,” She said with a smirk, motioning to the dancefloor. The alcohol coursing through her system was to blame, Sophie was never this forward otherwise.

Henry held out his hand to steady Sophie. She seemed to be fine on her feet, but her heels looked very high and the last thing Henry wanted was for her to roll her ankle, or worse, so he kept a firm hand around her waist and held the other out for her to hold.

Sophie linked arms with Henry, leaning a little too much into his side as they walked away from the bar and back onto the dancefloor. The drinks were to blame (and she didn’t know why she suggested to dance) so she wrapped her arms around Henry’s shoulders, clasping her fingers behind his head and stroking the hairs at the nape of his neck. With her four-inch heels, there was less of an apparent height gap between the two and Sophie enjoyed the new view, looking up at Henry and noting how pretty his eyes were even in the harsh club lighting. 

Henry smiled, looking down at Sophie as he swayed her to the beat, his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close to his body. The music was too loud for any conversation to take place, so the pair enjoyed swaying together until the second song ended. 

Sophie looked like she needed more water, and whilst Henry would have enjoyed having another dance or even bringing her back to his booth to meet his brother, he wanted to safely deliver her back to her friends so she could continue to enjoy herself.

“Where are your friends, Soph?” Henry asked, ushering Sophie off the dancefloor. He was walking behind her, his left hand linked in hers and his right hand around her waist. “Let’s reunite you with them?”

“What a fine idea,” Sophie said as she quickly turned around to look at Henry, although it happened too fast and she ended up bumping into him, his hand quickly coming out to slap against his chest before her forehead could hit into his solar plexus. “My hero!”

“But no Batman.” Henry deadpanned, looking at Sophie with a smirk.

“But no Batman.” Sophie repeated seriously, her eyes as wide as saucers. 

Henry laughed, slowly turning her back around and waiting, their hands still linked. Sophie somehow remembered where the booth was and Henry dropped her back to her friends, the girls all crowding the pair until Sophie distracted them with shots so Henry could make his escape. 

Henry waved at Sophie once he was at a distance from the booth and Sophie waved back enthusiastically, making the ‘call me’ sign with her hand to her ear. The girls then swooped on Sophie, grilling and questioning how she knew such a fine specimen of a man and he looks familiar; does he have a twin?

Henry walked back across the dancefloor and up the VIP section, taking a seat next to his younger brother Charlie. Charlie looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes and a mischievous smile on his lips, clearing having watched the scene unfold.

“I saw you getting pretty familiar with someone, brother dearest.”

“Hmm?” Henry found himself drifting off, remembering what Sophie was wearing as she stood next to him at the bar. She looked beautiful tonight, a different kind of beauty that what she naturally possessed. He found himself wanting to see her dressed up more often. “Ow, for fucks sake Charlie!” He rubbed his shoulder where Charlie had just punched him. “What was that for?”

“I said, you were getting pretty familiar with someone. I saw it.”

“Oh, Sophie.” Henry smiled. “She’s a Veterinarian. She started taking care of Kal for me when I’m not around.”

“Oh, yeah.” Charlie said with a knowing smirk. “And how’s that working out?”

“Great,” Henry sighed happily, pouring them both another finger of bourbon. “He loves her.”

“From the look of it,” Charlie mumbled so quietly, speaking to himself as he watched Henry zone out again. “He’s not the only one.” 

Charlie couldn’t wait to tell Mum about this new development. Henry, happy and oblivious, didn’t seem to hear any of what Charlie said, instead choosing to clink his glass against his brothers before absentmindedly going back to the thoughts in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sophie's dress!! https://i.imgur.com/6y68SyS.png
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, & please let me know how you're liking the story so far. Do you have any comments or suggestions? I love all the comments and kudos, it's still a shock that my writing is always so well received. As always, I love you!


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